


Orbital

by neonsign



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4
Genre: F/F, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonsign/pseuds/neonsign
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“That’s one of other transfer students,” Yosuke informed him quietly, as if he didn’t already know. Word got around quickly in Yasogami, especially when it was something like a new pair of twins, which people were always fascinated by. “Minato, I think his name is.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Don’t look up,” Yosuke muttered, bowing his head and shielding his face with his hand, “but you’re being stared at.”

Souji looked up. Yosuke clicked his tongue.

From the dark tone of his voice, Souji expected Morooka to be lurking around the library’s bookshelves, looking for a reason to yell at them. Who he found instead was a guy wearing headphones sitting at the next table, peering over his textbook. As soon as their eyes met, he turned back to his work. Souji followed suit.

“That’s one of other transfer students,” Yosuke informed him quietly, as if he didn’t already know. Word got around quickly in Yasogami, especially when it was something like a new pair of twins, which people were always fascinated by. “Minato, I think his name is.”

Souji made a vague noise of acknowledgment, flipping through the pages and trying to find mention of the Heian period. He’d seen the Arisato twins around, passing them in the hallway a couple times. In a school that small, pretty much every face became recognizable after a while.

“Too bad it’s not his sister. Have you seen her? Hamuko? Pretty easy on the eyes. Dunno what’s up with the amount of transfer students we got this year, but I’m glad we got at least one girl.”

They were supposed to be studying but Yosuke hadn’t been focused at all. Admittedly, Souji was wasn’t faring much better. Between the rain and everything that had been going on with the other world, barely rescuing Yukiko in time, it was nearly impossible to concentrate. Not to mention he was used to studying alone, in complete silence, and not having to balance work with keeping up a conversation.

“He keeps looking. I think he hates you.”

“Possibly.”

Asking Yosuke to stop talking would’ve been rude; he wasn’t being particularly loud and Souji had seen his Shadow – he knew how fragile his self-confidence was. All Souji had to do was think of it as a challenge and push himself to overcome it. Being able to study while holding a conversation could be good for him; engrave the knowledge in some part of his subconscious. Easy.

“Maybe he thinks you’re a rival. Clash of the transfers.”

“He doesn’t look the competitive type.”

Easy, sure, except that Souji had written half of what he said, switching midsentence. Resisting the urge to click his tongue lest Yosuke take it personally, he started erasing what he’d written. Irritation only spiked when his eraser caught and crinkled his paper.

Yosuke tilted his chair back, but just as quickly let it fall (loudly) back to all fours. “Oh, here we go.”

In spite of himself, Souji looked up. Hamuko was passing their table on her way to her brother’s.

“Man, she’s cute.”

Souji thought of asking about Saki, but the answer was right there in Yosuke’s voice. The whole time, there had been no real enthusiasm; she still weighed down every syllable. As if he was just talking for the noise. Trying to smile and keep things normal, like his Shadow had said. It was odd, knowing so much and so little about someone all at once.

Giving up on his work for a moment, Souji let his attention wander to the twins. Hamuko was sitting kitty-corner from Minato, handing him one of her two juice boxes despite the No Food rule. He accepted it with one hand, lowering his headphones with the other.

In Souji’s experience, transferring always followed the same pattern. There was the novelty of being new, prompting whispers and excited questions from classmates for most of the first day. Lunch would roll around, and the new kid would smile and nod to whatever group invited him to eat because being alone was the only other option. That group would be the one he gravitated towards on the second day because he knew no one else. Routine would make them shallow friends, until routine parted them.

Obvious circumstances aside, Inaba had been no different for Souji. Though he did wonder if it was the same for the twins. No matter what, they knew at least one person; they were never really alone.

Souji rubbed a hand over his face. None of this mattered; the three of them had nothing to do with one another. He’d allowed himself to become sidetracked and now he’d read the same line five times and taken in none of its meaning.

“Hey,” Yosuke closed his textbook with a thump, “let’s go to Aiya or something. Feels like my eyeballs are gonna fall out of my head.”

“No, thank you.”

“Come on, partner. We’re not getting anywhere; you’ve barely even written anything.”

Eyes on his textbook, Souji placed a casual hand over his notes like he could hide it after the fact. “I’m reading. You can go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Recognizing the dismissal, Yosuke got to his feet. “Alright, up to you. See you later.”

The disappointment in his voice was poorly masked. As soon as he was alone again, Souji put his face in his hands and sighed, taking a brief break before shoving his nose back in his book and renewing his efforts.

Maybe it was fine for Yosuke, but Souji couldn’t let his grades slip. Not only would he disappoint his parents in the long run, but more currently Dojima would get suspicious, more so than he already was. It was already bad enough that he’d messed up and gotten arrested. Souji should have said something to stop Yosuke, but he’d been suspended in disbelief and maybe it had been a little funny, and…

Souji bit his cheek until it hurt, bending further over his work.

It had barely been a month and this sleepy little town was more trying than any city Souji had ever lived in. There was a delicate balance to everything and he was at the centre of it all, trying to keep it together.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Minato.”

Someone tapped his shoulder and he opened his eyes to see Kou in the next desk over, leaning across the aisle. He lowered his headphones. Daisuke wasn’t there, which was a relief because he knew exactly what this was going to be about.

“Have you given any more thought to what I said?”

Minato shook his head, stifling a yawn behind his hand.

“Is that an answer or an ‘I haven’t thought about it’?”

“Both, I guess,” Minato said, closing his books. “I told you, I was on the swim team.”

“Yeah, and that stamina would come in handy on the court. You’ve probably got some powerful legs from kicking; bet you can jump pretty high. You’re short, like me, so that’d come in handy.”

Minato shoved his books in his bag and swung it over his shoulder as he got to his feet. Kou followed suit, watching his every move like he was afraid Minato would make a break for it. Just as he was about to inform Kou that no amount of talking would change his mind, someone else spoke.

“He _can_ jump pretty high.” Hamuko walked from her seats a couple rows over, readjusting the clips in her hair. She caught Minato’s eye and smiled a sly smile that he didn’t trust. “One time I got my shoes stuck in a tree and he got them down for me.”

“How’d you get your shoes stuck in a tree?”

“I threw them,” Hamuko said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kou snorted. “Anyway, see? Two short players, other teams’ll underestimate us. We can work it to our advantage. Man, come on, we really need new players.”

“At least go watch them play or something,” Hamuko added. “Maybe you’ll get interested.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Minato exhaled.

Kou grinned. “Awesome. There’s a practice today, but if that’s too soon, come see us on Monday or Tuesday, alright? It’ll be fun, I promise.”

Kou turn on his heel and bounded toward the door. Minato watched him go. He liked Kou, but the seating arrangement had them side-by-side and Kou was a friendly enough guy that anyone in Minato’s position probably would’ve gotten the same treatment.

Minato turned his gaze to his sister. “Thanks a lot.”

Hamuko shrugged, spreading her arms wide. “I’m here to help.”

They headed for the door and into the hallway, crowded with students milling around and talking, heading home, or on their way to clubs. A couple people called out to Hamuko as they passed, awkwardly acknowledging Minato afterwards. They didn’t speak to each other all the way down to the first floor, nor while they put on their shoes and headed outside. Only when they passed through the gate and started down the slope did Minato say anything.

“What about you? You gonna join anything?”

Hamuko turned her head until all he could see was her ponytail, swinging with the motion of her bouncy step. She let out a long hum, ending in a simple, “Nah.”

“Why not?”

She hooked her thumbs under her backpack straps and faced forward. She still wouldn’t look at him.

“I’m thinking of getting a job,” she said. “You know, Koharu and Hideki are kinda strapped for cash, so I thought I’d help out a bit. It was nice of them to take us in and everything. Especially considering we’re barely related.”

Minato stopped walking, bringing her to a halt a couple steps ahead.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s bull. I’m supposed to play basketball while you’re working?”

“Why not? It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is! You always do this, it’s not fair.”

“You sound like a kid,” Hamuko smiled. “Grow up.”

Minato glared at her, a bundle of emotion tight and uncomfortable in his chest. She was always moving at her own pace, leaving him behind and never letting him in. Like some kind of self-professed hero, taking the burdens entirely on her own shoulders while he got to sit there, completely useless.

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said. “Just go check out the basketball team. For me?”

“No! I was going to, but I’m not anymore.”

Hamuko laughed. “What? What’re you getting so mad about?”

“Because–”

Movement out of the corner of Minato’s eye caught his attention and he shut his mouth. Two guys were walking towards them. One of them pushed a bike, ticking slowly, with his attention on the pedals as he kicked them into a position that wouldn’t bump again his shin. The other was the transfer with silver hair from the class next to theirs, looking back unabashedly. Minato averted his eyes. Underneath more immediate concerns, he remembered the embarrassment of getting caught staring at him like a creep.

While waiting for them to pass, he and Hamuko stood in an awkward silence. At the very least, the burst of anger was abating the more time passed.

Minato took a deep breath.

“Why can’t you mind your own business for once?” he asked, as casually as asking for the time.

Hamuko laughed and reached over to ruffle his hair. “I’m your big sister; it’s my responsibility to take care of you.”

“You’re twenty-two minutes older,” Minato repeated for what felt like the billionth time in his life. He pushed his mussed bangs out of his eyes and, in spite of himself, smiled slightly. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”

“That’s fine. Are you gonna check out the practice?”

“There’s no point. You know there’s no way they can afford to keep us here; we’ll probably end up back in Uenohara before the team’s first match.”

“Hence the job, dummy. Stretching it out.”

Minato’s head rolled back on his neck and he let out a long, dramatic sigh that turned into a frustrated groan.

“Jobs,” he corrected. “I’ll get one too; you won’t have to work every day. Join volleyball or whatever you wanna do.”

Hamuko stared at him for a moment before grinning. Again, a smile he didn’t trust.

“Aww, Mina...”

“Don’t call me –”

She reached for his hair. He tried batting her away but she was too fast and managed to get his head between both her hands. Ruffling his hair twice as hard as before, she bent him forward until he almost lost his balance.

“Such a sweet baby brother!”

“Ugh, stop-! _Stop_!”

Even as he squeezed his eyes shut to avoid getting jabbed by her fingers, Minato was aware of more students walking by, watching the scene and laughing. He managed to escape, losing only a couple hairs in the process, and backed out of arm’s reach.

Hamuko smiled at his frown, soft and a little sad.

“C’mon,” she said, “you’re always moping around, what else am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t _mope_ …” Minato sighed, fixing his hair again. “I never asked for your help; I don’t need it.”

A couple more students passed by, talking loudly. Hamuko watched their retreating backs, crossing her arms and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

“I heard you wandering around last night,” she said. Lightly but still with an accusatory edge. “You’re still having issues sleeping.”

Minato glared at her until she shrugged and started down the road again. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he followed along, jogging a couple steps to keep up with her quick pace. The sun was unbearable and bright, heating the top of his head and making his shirt stick everywhere his backpack touched him.

“You know, if you really want to help,” he said calmly, “you can leave me alone.”

“So crabby!”

“Just saying, I don’t stick my nose in your business.” This time it was him that reached for her hair. He gave her bangs a sharp tug. “Don’t worry about me.”

Hamuko clicked her tongue and swatted away his hand.

“One of us has to.”

 

* * *

 

“I don’t get what we’re doing here.”

“Looking for –”

“– Ritz wire, yeah, but…” Chie gestured limply around the castle, her eyes lingering on Yukiko. “Why here? Isn’t it something you could buy in a store?”

“TVs have wire in them,” Souji said, though now that he was hearing it, it did seem an odd way to reason. “It’s worth a shot; we’ve found stranger things in here.”

“I’m starving,” Yosuke sighed. “Chie, turn around.”

Chie obeyed, her attention still on Souji as Yosuke dug through the backpack hanging from her shoulders. Halfway through their attempt to rescue Yukiko, it had been her idea. It held water, food, a first aid kit, and baby wipes (for blood, sweat, and Shadow residue alike), and they all took turns carrying it. At first Souji had tried keeping a hand-drawn map in there as well, but one return visit showed that the castle changed its very layout while they weren’t there.

“There’s no need to pay for something we can get for free,” Souji said. He scratched idly at his temple; he could feel a headache coming on. “The guy said he would pay me if I could find some and we need all the money we can get.”

To prove his point, he held up his golf club. No longer did it shine, but it was coated in a gritty black grime that had stained the metal dark no matter how he tried to clean it. The shaft was bent from the force of his swings and the strain of being used for something it wasn’t made for.

“I’m sorry,” Yukiko said. “You bought me this fan; you should’ve used the money on yourself.”

“No, I didn’t mean that,” Souji said quickly. “It’s just –”

He paused, trying to figure out how to word ‘I’m the only one paying for equipment’ without sounding accusatory. He didn’t mind. Really. Truth be told, it was better that they didn’t help; that way he didn’t have to calculate who was contributing what.

They had unanimously made him leader, so it was his responsibility – probably. There weren’t exactly written guidelines. Sometimes, while they discussed theories and he sat and watched, or when they fought with little to no direction, it felt like a title in name only, but it had to be worth something. Roles existed for a reason and this one was his. There had to be lines drawn in the sand. It was just easier that way. Things made sense that way.

“Still, it’s weird.” Chie crossed her arms, moving with the motion of Yosuke roughly zipping up the backpack, a snack bar hanging out of his mouth. “Like that girl with the angel statue and the guy with the demon one – they ask you for it, which is weird in the first place, and then we come in here and find one really easily. It’s weird, right? You guys see it too?”

“What,” Yosuke laughed, “you scared or something?”

“I’m not scared,” Chie snapped, “I’m just saying –”

“I think it’s odd, too,” Yukiko said thoughtfully, cutting them off before they got started. Souji inwardly thanked her; his head had given a painful throb at the first sign of fighting. “It’s almost like this place is still responding to what we really want, in a way.”

A silence hung in the air and the four of them exchanged glances, the only sound coming from Yosuke, balling up his wrapper. He swallowed his food and laughed nervously.

“Hey, you think if we wish hard enough, it’ll turn the entrance into a nice beach or something? Be nice to relax there instead of staring at those body outlines.”

Despite the pain blooming behind his eyes, Souji felt himself smile. His imagination had supplied him with an image of the Velvet Room changing to match. From a TV studio and a limousine, to a beach and a smoothie bar, perhaps, complete with Margaret and Igor in bathing suits.

Yukiko laughed behind her hand, wondering aloud if it would come with its own sea monster as well, and Chie sighed, looking a little more at ease. With the atmosphere less tense, Souji decided to press the advantage and guided them forward. They followed without complaint, the girls in the back while Yosuke caught up to Souji in the lead.

“What about you?” Souji asked. “How are your knives?”

“Aw, at least call them daggers or something. ‘Knives’ sounds like I’m fighting with kitchen utensils.”

Yosuke pushed his jacket aside, pulling one from where he kept them in his belt, and Souji watched, wondering if he should get them actual weapon holsters. The knife was nearly in just as bad of shape as the golf club; grime from the Shadows had coagulated near the handle and stained the rest. Tiny pieces had started to chip off the blade and, not for the first time, Souji wondered if the Shadows were made of something that corroded metal.

Chie’s shoes were already wearing thin at the soles and now Yosuke either needed to get his knives sharpened or buy new ones altogether. If Souji skimped on buying an actual sword, he could probably manage all three.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Yosuke said. He pulled the other knife out and gave them feeble twirls, nearly dropping them in the process. “I get paid on Friday; I’ll head down to Daidara and see what I can pick up. He had this really cool pair of kunai in the window the other day. Though, I was hoping to save up… I’m thinking about getting my license –”

“Don’t,” Souji said quickly. “I’ll take care of it. Save your money.”

“What? No way, that’s not fair to you.”

Souji hesitated, fidgeting with the handle of his golf club.

“It’s okay, really.” He tried his friendliest smile. “I got it, don’t worry.”

Teddie interrupted before Yosuke could argue further, warning them about a Shadow around the corner. Glad for the distraction, Souji hurried ahead, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

He was used to taking care of everything by himself. That way, he could make sure it was done right. Not that he didn’t trust them, but multiple people trying to work together on one project never worked out well. He was still haunted by memories of preparing for every festival and school event with the rest of his classes. That was another thing that didn’t change from school to school. Trying to colour-coordinate decorations and create signs, all while making sure everyone was pitching in the same amount of work – it was nothing but a source of stress. Doing something on your own was easier and it guaranteed results.

Besides, they had made him leader. This was his job. The least they could do was trust him to do it. He didn’t need help.

 

* * *

 

When Minato walked into the gym, Kou looked as excited as he’d ever been and bounded over, leaving his team to their stretches. The noise of sneakers squeaking and basketballs hitting the floor echoed through the cavernous room. He slapped Minato on the arm, smiling so naturally Minato almost found himself returning it. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so excited to see him; it was kind of nice.

“You came!”

“I told you I would.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t really expecting – ahh, this is hilarious,” Kou grinned. “I got both transfer students and Daisuke got none.”

“What?”

Kou turned and gestured. The other transfer student was there, discussing form with one of the other members from the look of it. “Souji joined the day I last asked you. I went to the gym after we talked and there he was.”

“Oh,” Minato said blankly.

As he watched, the other teammate bent his arm like he was about to shoot, and the transfer student – Souji – touched his elbow, adjusting the angle for him. Souji was tall. At least half a head taller than Minato and with one of those naturally athletic bodies.

Kou said something about him staying to watch and Minato nodded without really thinking. As soon as he was left alone, he made his way over to the wall and leaned against it, crossing his arms. His finger dug at his ribs, easily felt. He found a bruise he knew was there and pressed into it.

The team started doing drills. Minato’s eyes kept following Souji. Once in a while, he’d catch himself and watch someone else, but his attention always wandered back. Most of the members moved with a sluggishness that said they didn’t care much, but Souji was among the number that pushed themselves. It was more than a simple practice called for, and Minato had to wonder just what the hell he was trying to prove, showing off for nothing. If Minato was playing, it was easy to guess which side he would be on.

The effect of Kou’s excitement was long gone, leaving him feeling oddly empty. Not upset, just numb. He pushed away from the wall and took a hesitant step towards the door. No one noticed. Kou didn’t stop him as he took another and another, until he was out the door.

It didn’t make sense but it felt like confirmation. Minato wasn’t needed. He felt like an idiot for believing that, even for a second, he was.

 

* * *

 

Souji crouched down and poked an experimental finger through the TV’s dark glass. There was a slight pull, but it was no worse than sticking his finger down a vacuum hose. Yosuke’s nervous voice crackled through the phone, but cut off as soon as Souji spoke.  

“Yeah,” he said, “that was definitely Kanji Tatsumi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p4 au where everything's the same except the twins are there for no reason at all other than the fact that i love them very much
> 
> souji and minato actually meet in the next chapter, i promise


	2. Chapter 2

Souji, for once, did his uniform jacket up all the way. There was blood on his shirt from Kanji’s Nice Guy sending a swift fist into his face, breaking his nose, and they couldn’t have the Junes customers getting worried. A couple healing spells later and he was more or less fine, with a nose as straight as ever; nothing but a dull throbbing and a couple stains showed anything had happened.

“And a couple of gigantic black eyes,” Chie pointed out. Souji touched them tentatively but it didn’t feel like anything except tender. She tilted her head and peered from eye to eye. “How’re you gonna explain those to Dojima?”

“I can’t heal them,” Yukiko said, sounding vaguely frustrated. “I can mend flesh and bone but I can’t control blood. They’ll have to run their course. In the meantime, I have concealer you can borrow. Oh – but I don’t know if we’re the same shade. Should we pick some up while we’re here?”

“Dojima would probably get suspicious if he just suddenly starts wearing make-up,” Yosuke said. “Besides, that’s not something guys –”

“It’ll be fine, I’ll get some,” Souji said quickly. The more they talked, the guiltier Kanji was starting to look, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. “We need to get Kanji home.”

“I’ll take him,” Yosuke said. He gestured to Kanji and the two set off. “Talk to you guys tomorrow.”

The girls followed not long after, leaving Souji to absentmindedly browse the aisles, trying to think of excuses to tell Dojima. There had to be a plausible reason he would end up with two black eyes, one that wouldn’t implicate him in anything bad.

Even if there was, it probably wouldn’t matter. The arrest was still hanging over his head; if it looked like he was still getting into trouble, there was no way Dojima would ignore it. He really, really should’ve said something, stopped Yosuke from waving those swords around like some kind of idiot, but –

Souji clenched his jaw. He just barely noticed that he was in the housewares section, staring at a shelf of knife sharpeners and wondering if they worked on swords.

Somewhere under his hazy irritation, there was guilt, too. Just the fact that he was glad to finally be alone. Everyone had been nothing but nice to him and he still just couldn’t wait to get away. Browsing a department store, it felt like he was back in the city; familiarity after a month that felt like a year of strangeness. The quiet was comforting.

That was who he was. That was the him that he was used to. Souji was quiet, he liked the quiet, and he always had. He didn’t belong with loud groups. He wasn’t one of those teenagers that could just let loose and do stupid things. He couldn’t be.

As such, this was his first time ever breaking a bone. Maybe he should’ve been proud, or at least more excited; it was a milestone crossed.

“What about here?”

“Eugh.”

Souji glanced right. There were two people turning into the aisle.

“It’s… big,” Minato said. He stopped to look at the shelves, twisting his hands together. “Lots of people.”

“True.” Hamuko stood with her hands on her hips, weight on one leg and back to Souji. “What about the gas station? They’re hiring.”

“Still a lot of people.”

“You’re gonna have to work with people no matter what. But if you don’t wanna get a job, then don’t. I already told you I’d take care of –”

“I’m _trying_ ,” Minato said, surprisingly gentle. From his general atmosphere, Souji had been expecting something harsher. “I told you I would, so I’m – but no one’s called back. There’s –”

Minato looked over Hamuko’s shoulder and narrowed his eyes as soon as he caught Souji staring. Souji turned back to the shelf, heart beating nervously. Eavesdropping was rude enough on its own, nevermind standing there with two black eyes, staring like a creep. He wasn’t even sure why he was.

“There’s – uh, the hospital’s looking for a nightshift janitor,” Minato continued, turning away. “I might check that out.”

Souji picked up a knife sharpener to read the information on the box. From what he could tell, it would work on swords. They were kind of pricy, but a bit of spending now might save money down the road.

“Did the bookstore ever call you back?”

“Yep.” Hamuko popped the P carelessly. “I got an interview on Wednesday.”

“Wait – really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… you never said – that’s good.”

A third voice spoke and under the guise of reaching for another sharpener, Souji glanced over to see two adults joining the twins. They said something about having what they came for and asked if they were ready to head home. The twins’ parents, evidently, though they seemed young.

Souji watched the family leave, suddenly very tired. His whole body (especially his nose) still ached from rescuing Kanji and he felt miserable about everything. Taking the cheaper knife sharpener, he turned on his heel and headed for the make-up section, his mind back on what lie he would tell Dojima. Maybe he could steal Yosuke’s whole deal about being hated for being from the city.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the last bell rang, Hamuko was gone, running to make sure she wasn’t late for her first shift at the bookstore. Kou left for basketball, giving Minato a friendly smile when their eyes met, but saying nothing about the fact he never ended up joining. Whether that was better or worse than obvious disappointment didn’t matter; it had been a mistake to get involved to the point where he had to worry about either.

Minato gathered his things and headed out, much more slowly than everyone else. Like always, there were people standing around in groups, making plans, laughing, gossiping, and he wove between them all, keeping his eyes on the floor and his headphones on.

If he went right home then it would just be him and Koharu. She would probably try to talk to him or get him to help with dinner. Even if she didn’t, there was something uncomfortable about sitting in his room and knowing it was just the two of them in the house. Involved or not, everything he did felt like an imposition.

Minato started wandering the halls just to stall. It worked better with bigger schools. In Yasogami, he ended up just going up a storey, making it to the end of the hall, checking his phone as if he’d just gotten a message, and turning around like he’d been called somewhere else.

As he made his way down to the first floor from the third, he decided to go into the bathroom. Another trusted tactic for stalling and avoiding.

It wasn’t empty when he walked in, which wasn’t great, but also wasn’t that big of a deal. But there was Souji standing by the sinks, accepting money from another student. Trying not to be too obvious, Minato watched as he passed on his way to the farthest stall. The other guy had his backpack on the counter, zipping it up like he had just put something in there. Souji said something as he put the money in his wallet, drowned out by Minato’s music, and the other student smiled and nodded before turning to leave. Not long after, Souji followed, leaving Minato staring after him with his hand on the stall door.

There was no way.

It had to be the boredom. Inaba was so goddamn tedious that his brain was making up stories more interesting than the obvious explanation, then projecting them onto a complete stranger that he had nothing to do with and no interest in.

Inside the stall, Minato let his backpack fall to the floor and leaned against the wall, sliding down to join it. He pulled his handheld out of his bag. He could probably waste an hour there before his back and ass started to kill him, then if he took his time walking home, there would only be about two hours for dinner and a bath before he could reasonably pass out for the night and not have to deal with anything.

That was assuming he _could_ sleep.

 

* * *

 

Inaba was definitely to blame. In a place so small, and especially with Yasogami being a quarter the size of his previous school, running into people was bound to happen all the time.

Souji wasn’t the only one Minato kept running into, but he seemed to stand out more. Probably because he was tall and had silver hair. In a sea of average students with brown and black hair, he was a bit of an oddity.

Minato looked at the bangs hanging in front of his face, wondering if the same applied to him. Souji had to notice they kept running into each other. What did he think of the boy with blue hair? Probably that he was creepy. Maybe he thought Minato was following him.

The realization twisted uncomfortably in his stomach.

Inaba really, really sucked.

Even on a trip to the mountain, it seemed Minato couldn’t escape Souji. While the only time they had physically seen each other had been while they filed onto two different buses, he was now picking up garbage and listening to two girls from his class gossiping about him. Hamuko was there too, which explained how he got dragged into it, but she wasn’t really contributing anything.

“I’ve got a friend in that class,” said a girl with glasses. “Apparently he doesn’t talk much. He’s really smart but he’s kinda distant.”

 “Probably thinks he’s too good for us country bumpkins,” said the one with freckles. “Honestly, he gives off that conceited vibe. Smart and good-looking – he’s gotta know it. Being deemed worthy enough to hang out with _the_ Yukiko Amagi would go to anyone’s head.”

“Maybe he’s just shy,” Hamuko said airily, jabbing a stick through a discarded takeout container. She pointed it towards Minato. “Look at this guy.”

They did and Minato really wished they wouldn’t.

“I guess,” Freckles said, sounding unconvinced. “But there _are_ people that don’t like him; he keeps showing up to school with injuries. There’s gotta be a reason he keeps getting beat up.”

While Minato remembered the black eyes he’d seen Souji with in Junes, Glasses looked around as if checking for eavesdroppers. She leaned in and lowered her voice. “You know how Abe’s father is a cop, right? Apparently he works with this guy named Dojima and that’s who Souji’s staying with. Did you hear what they were saying about why he was shipped off to live with a cop?”

The girls kept talking and Minato turned away, only half-listening as he picked up an empty beer can. From what he could tell, they weren’t entirely wrong about Souji being disliked. The way guys were, sometimes just a wrong look could be enough to earn a punch or two and Souji definitely had the face for it. It was the cool, upturned eyes. And the high cheekbones and his pouty lips.

Probably.

He looked conceited, regardless.

Still, it was surprising how mean country kids could be. Growing up in various cities, Minato had always expected more of a friendly atmosphere; everyone knowing everyone surely meant that everyone was friends with everyone. But there truly was nothing to do in Inaba which bred boredom, and then in turn, a frustration that led to gossip and a special brand of country kid cruelty.

“And Abe said he saw Suzuki handing him money, too,” Glasses finished. “Between that and all the injuries he keeps showing up with, it makes sense.”

“Souji’s never been anything but nice to people.” Hamuko’s voice was honeyed but it cut into their conversation like a blade. She smiled. “If there are people that think poorly of him despite that, maybe it’s just because they’re stupid enough to put stock in baseless gossip?”

An awkward silence hung in the air. For a moment it looked like the girls were going to bite back, but they glanced at Minato and he did his best to glare, all while chewing his cheek and trying not to laugh. Glasses hooked her arm around Freckles’, leading her away without a word. Hamuko caught his eye as they passed her and grinned. They both started laughing.

“That’s not how you make friends,” Minato informed her.

“Oops.”

“You got a crush on the guy or something?”

“Ha! No, I’ve never even talked to him. I just wanted to shut them up. Hate stuff like that.”

Minato watched the girls go, something nagging at the back of his mind. Hamuko always spoke her mind if something bothered her – that wasn’t what was weird. It was that everywhere they moved, she was always surrounded by people. People tended to gravitate around her. She was always hanging out at malls and going to movies and doing what teenagers were supposed to do. Inaba had been different.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.”

“I mean…” Minato gestured vaguely, “in general. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” she smiled. “Why?”

Minato shrugged and shook his head at the ground. Chances were he was projecting. Just because he was miserable all the time didn’t mean that her happiness was fake. Hamuko was fine. She always was.

“I’m gonna go get a bottle of water,” she said, swiping at the sweat on her brow. “You want one?”

Minato nodded and without further ado, she turned and sprinted away. He watched her go, unzipping his track jacket, tying it around his waist, and rolling up the sleeves of his t-shirt. The sun was merciless, like the elevation made it worse by bringing them that much closer. The shade from the trees wasn’t helping at all; it just made everything muggier and invited bugs. He should’ve skipped the trip, but Hamuko had been insistent. ‘It’ll be fun,’ as was her reasoning for everything.

The only saving grace was that it was easy to sneak off to a place with no other students, far away from that King Moron guy. With Hamuko and the other girls gone, the only thing he could hear was distant birdsong and the occasional breeze rustling the leaves. Which was good, because his MP3 player was in his bag, saving its battery life for when he actually needed it.

Minato sat against a tree, slapping mosquitos away from his arm. He closed his eyes. There in the shade, away from people, it wasn’t too bad. If the whole trip was like that then it would be good. Though there was still the problem of nighttime. With his sleeping issues, being stuck in a tent with strangers and listening to them breath sounded like a special corner of hell.

“Are you kidding me?”

Just as the thought crossed his mind, an angry voice interrupted and his eyes snapped open.

“Look at this, an entire bike!” Someone dragged something through the grass, dropped it, and from the sound of it, kicked it. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”

Minato peeked around the edge of his tree. Speak of the devil, but his sanctuary had been defiled by five people. There was a new addition to Souji’s group of friends who Minato had never seen before. Some guy that was even taller than Souji, with bleached hair. He looked like a gang member.

The guy with brown hair nudged the bike with his foot, bickering with the blond about whether or not parts were salvageable, and Souji wandered ahead, dragging his garbage bag full of litter. Minato looked from Souji to the gang member and back again, thinking about what everyone had just been saying, his own sleeping problems, Souji’s black eyes, the exchange he’d seen in the bathroom, and something clicked. Before the consequences could kick his anxiety into gear, he got to his feet and hurried over.

Souji was apart from the rest of the group, stuffing a single shoe in his trash bag. At the sound of footsteps, he turned. If he was surprised to see Minato then it didn’t show on his face.

“I need to talk to you,” Minato said.

Souji stared at him, glanced over his shoulder at his friends, who were all watching, and then nodded.

“In private,” Minato added.

Souji started walking, which Minato took as an invitation to follow. He could feel the group’s eyes on his back, but if they were saying anything then they were keeping it under their breath. The two of them stopped under a large tree, and Souji rested a hand on his hip.

“How can I help you?”

It was Minato’s first time hearing him speak, and he was surprised that the voice didn’t match what he’d been expecting. He didn’t know _what_ he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t whatever that was. Maybe it was the black eyes and rumours that had planted a more snide voice in his head, not something so smooth and gentle.

“I heard what people are saying about you.”

Souji didn’t move or say anything, like he was waiting for Minato to get to the point. Minato reeled a little. Without Souji’s confirmation, his brain was suddenly telling him he had it all wrong. The guy lived with a _cop_ ; why would he set up this kind of operation right under his nose? The consequences alone…

Minato pushed forward. It was too late.

“I heard that, uh… you can get what people need? That you have connections in the city or whatever.”

His voice wavered unconfidently as the anxiety snowballed. It sounded so stupid to say, like a cheesy line out of an old crime drama. He hadn’t thought this through - what if Souji was some kind of bait set up by his cop uncle and, God, Souji just kept staring. But if Minato kept everything vague… His only other options were either to suffer through more sleepless nights or bring it up to Koharu and Hideki, which he refused to do.

“I can pay whatever,” Minato added, which was a lie until he actually found a job. But he still had some money saved up. He needed this. Being so goddamn tired all the time was driving him around the bend.

Souji stroked his jaw with his free hand. “What do you need?”

At that, Minato faltered. He wasn’t about to spill his mental health history to a complete stranger, so he settled with a vague, “Something to help me sleep,” and hoped that fixing one problem would start a domino effect of healing.

“Nothing more specific in mind?”

Minato shook his head. “Anything is fine. I’m not on – you don’t have to worry about mixing.”

Souji looked confused for a moment, but nodded all the same. “I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, he inclined his head a little awkwardly and headed back to his friends who, now that Minato looked, had been watching the entire time and trying to make it look like they weren’t. Minato wiped his sweaty palms on his track pants and went to collect his garbage bag, hoping that whatever Souji got for him worked.

 

* * *

 

“He’s become a strange kid. Really not like his sister at all; hard to believe they’re twins.”

“People deal with trauma in different ways,” Hideki said fairly. “You think it’s natural for that girl to be smiling and laughing all the time?”

Minato picked at some lint on his pants as he sat on the top stair, listening to the voices drifting up from the kitchen. Koharu and Hideki, sitting at the table. They were trying to keep their voices down, but it was late and the house was quiet. Noise carried easily. They probably thought he was in his room, listening to his music. 

The bathroom door opened behind him and footsteps brought Hamuko’s pink pajama pants into his peripheral vision.

“Bath’s all yours –”

Minato hushed her with a wave of his hand. Hearing the voices, she took the hint easily and sat on the step next to him. With her came the scent of soap; her hair was down and damp and her make-up was off.

“If I’m honest… this wasn’t really how I was planning on spending the early years of our marriage.”

“I know,” Koharu sighed. Minato dug his nails into his arm until it hurt. “But what else could we do? No one else can take them right now, not while Ikumi’s going in for treatment, and… I dunno…”

A chair scraped against the floor, just short enough to be one of them moving closer to the other. “Were you that close with their parents?”

“Sort of,” Koharu said. “Our whole family’s always been close. Their mother was my cousin and – I told you that, right? We hung out when we were young, before I moved out of Iwatodai. She was older than me but she was always kind. Minato has the same quiet temperament as her, but…”

Koharu’s voice trailed off, implying something.

“That’s her way of saying you’re rude,” Hamuko whispered.

“Thanks.”

“Hamuko’s more like their father,” Koharu continued. “I only met him a few times, but the guy was a riot. Always a smile on his face. They were an odd couple.”

Hamuko looked down at her hands, kneading her thumb into her palm. There was no trace of that smile on her face now; her brow was furrowed and her lips parted. The question sat on Minato’s tongue, but he didn’t ask her if that was how she remembered it; they’d talked about their parents off and on over the years, helping each other remember, but less and less as time went by.

With his memory issues, Minato wondered if he’d be able to remember them at all if he didn’t have Hamuko. Even with her, it was hard. His brain was constantly in a haze that made nothing feel real, least of all the past, and things slipped through his fingers so easily. Hamuko had an iron grip.

“Last time I met the twins was before the accident,” Koharu said. “Funny thing, but they were more alike back then. Kind of somewhere in the middle; just normal kids. It’s like after the car crash, they both went to opposite ends of the spectrum. I understand they went through something awful, but I just wish Minato wasn’t so… it feels like he’s being intentionally difficult. Hamuko at least helps out, she’s working… he just stays in his room. Or he doesn’t come home at all.”

“Looks like you’re the favourite,” Minato whispered. “Again.”

Hamuko got to her feet. He watched her walk away, slightly surprised. It wasn’t like her to get offended so easily. He hesitated for only a moment, torn between hearing more and making sure she was okay, before he got up and followed her.

She was in the room they were sharing, sitting on her futon and checking her phone. It was hard to tell from the door, but it looked like she was just jumping between menus to look busy.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, of course,” Hamuko answered simply. She dropped her phone onto her pillow and stretched her arms above her head. “Just tired. That trip really wore me out. Plus, I got work tomorrow, so… gonna turn in early.”

“Hamu.”

“Mina.”

Minato took a couple steps and crouched down beside her. “You wanna talk?”

“Not particularly.”

“C’mon. Is it what I said?”

“What was all that about minding our own business?” She sounded amused. “Tell me if I’m wrong, but that’s what you’re always saying, right?”

“This is different.”

“Hm, convenient.”

With a dramatic sigh, Hamuko leaned back on her hands. Minato sat down properly, mirroring her position and stretching his legs straight until his knees cracked. While he waited for her to come around, his attention wandered around the room. They hadn’t been there long, but the walls were already covered with her posters. Every time they moved, putting everything up was one of the first things she did. ‘Better than boring nothing’ was what she said about it.

She let her head roll on her shoulders and raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Not gonna go take your bath?”

“Does being compared to Dad bother you?”

Something crossed Hamuko’s face. Surprise, maybe, but it was quickly covered up with her usual smile. “What? Don’t be stupid, why would it?”

“You tell me.”

“Pff…”

The ceiling light reflected in the black window, blocking out any view of the stars they might’ve had. And there were so many in the countryside. Minato stared at the reflection, trying to gather his memories together until something – anything – clicked and made sense. It was all distorted. Underexposed film.

He could never remember what was his own, what he’d once seen in a movie, or what the two of them had twisted through word of mouth. Hamuko had a steel trap for a memory, sure, but after a long absence, people became less people and more ideas. Concepts. The Happy One and the Sad One: just roles to play.

“Do you remember that time…” Hamuko started slowly, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling as she thought. “I forget, but… we were all in the kitchen of our place in Iwatodai. I think they were making breakfast. Mom started laughing and that stupid laugh got Dad going too, then both of us. I don’t even remember what she was laughing about. Do you remember that?”

He did. Despite his poor memory, it was one of those insignificant memories that had stuck with him over the years. The room had been filled with the kind of familiarity that came with living your whole life in one place, one that he hadn’t experienced since and never would again. White walls and bamboo floors. Pure sunlight streamed through the large window; bright and clean, but warm – nothing like the clinical starkness of the hospital room he’d woken up in after the accident.

“It’s not like you to reminisce,” Minato said quietly. They used to all the time, but not so much anymore. Their own parents had become taboo between them.

“Yeah… those two got me thinking, I guess. It’s just… kinda scary to think about, but it’s gonna get harder and harder to remember, the more time passes. And then… poof.”

She gestured with a limp wrist, a lazy smile on her face that faded quickly. Minato looked away.

That kitchen memory was always paired with another, even though the two were unrelated. One of his father, on a day he’d promised to take Minato out. The girls were out of the house, spending the day together, and the two of them were supposed to have their own father-son time. But no matter how he tried, Minato just couldn’t get his dad to get out of bed. He was tired, he kept saying. Some other time, he promised.

The Lighthearted Father and the Reserved Mother.

The man that couldn’t get out of bed and the woman with a wildly contagious laugh.

Those memories versus the contradicting, simplified concepts that everyone liked to believe in – after years without seeing either for himself, neither seemed real.

Minato got to his feet.

“I’m gonna go take my bath.”

Hamuko stared at him for a moment, her brows furrowed in a straight line. She looked down at her hands.

“Yeah.”

It would be easier to forget. She was wrong, it wouldn’t be scary at all; there was no comfort in a better past. As Minato shut the bathroom door and pulled his shirt over his head, all he could think about was how much better it would be not being weighed down. Memories or concepts, good or bad – he wanted nothing to do with either. Day to day, it was already hard enough keeping his head above water.

In the mirror, Minato’s reflection stared back. Poor sleeping habits were really starting to take a toll on him. He looked no different than the corpses he was so eager to be free of.


	3. Chapter 3

Minato’s fingers curled around the job posting he’d torn off the board outside Aiya. He wasn’t completely confident in his translation abilities, but an interest in music scenes overseas and foreign movies left him with a bit more of an understanding than what they taught in school. Hopefully it would be enough; no one else was calling him back.

Hamuko looked over her shoulder, slowing her pace until he caught up. “What do you feel like having?”

“Not hungry.”

“Aw, c’mon. This place has really good tofu.”

Figured that she had gotten a job so easily while he was struggling. The only good thing was that Souji had never gotten back to him; other than food, Minato didn’t really have anything to spend his last bits of money on.

“Didn’t think you were that big on tofu,” Minato said. “This has nothing to do with Risette?”

“Aren’t you the fan?”

“Fan is a strong word.”

The only explanation that made sense was that Souji was actively avoiding him. They’d passed in the halls at school and the most that passed between them was an obligatory and very tiny smile from Souji, every time. Even if he was having trouble getting his hands on something, good business practice would’ve suggested he keep Minato updated. Assuming those kinds of people even cared about customer service.

“Besides…” Hamuko turned around and started walking backwards, “she’s missing, right? I just wanna go out for some food with you, that’s all. I’ve been so busy with work, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I guess it has.”

Aside from the murders and now Risette, Inaba didn’t exactly offer a lot of distractions. Having nothing to do and nowhere to go gave you plenty of time to think about everything, even things you would rather not. Souji couldn’t have forgotten about their deal – at least, Minato wanted to think he didn’t leave that faint of an impression on people. Not that it would really matter, but still. It wasn’t really fun to think about.

“They found her, apparently. Risette.”

“Oh? That’s good. Too bad you don’t have anything for her to sign. Could’ve sold it online and made some money.” With one last smirk, Hamuko turned back around and started walking properly. “Assuming you wouldn’t want to keep it.”

They climbed the steps outside the tofu shop as Minato tried to step on her heels and trip her. She was too quick, but he did distract her long enough for her to bump into a display. The lone employee watched them, a faint smile on her face. Risette.

Hamuko apologized and she and Minato started browsing, going back and forth about who wanted what. All the while Minato kept stealing glances at Risette. After seeing her on TV and online, it was bizarre seeing her in person. Not that he was a huge fan, but he was generally aware of her. Hard not to be when she was everywhere.

“You could see if this place is hiring,” Hamuko said, lowering her head and speaking under her breath. “It’s small and there’s not a lot of people. How busy could it get?”

“I could,” Minato said thoughtfully. “If I did… maybe I could get a discount. I wanna start buying my own food. I don’t wanna eat Koharu and Hideki’s.”

The way she looked at him, Minato expected her to tell him that was stupid, that they were their caretakers’ responsibilities, but she nodded.

“That’s a good idea,” she said.

“Rise?”

They looked around and Souji was there, walking through the doors with a backpack on his shoulders and a faint smile on his face. His gaze was firmly on Risette, but when he glanced at Minato for a second, something like a frown made the smile falter. That pretty much settled it: he was avoiding Minato and was unhappy to run into him like this.

“Hurry up,” Minato urged Hamuko. “I’m fine with whatever.”

“Senpai,” Risette said warmly, “what’re you doing here?”

“I’m about twenty minutes early for my bus,” Souji said, “so I thought I’d stop in to make sure you’re okay.”

Leaving Hamuko to buy something, Minato headed outside. With Souji being there, the air seemed oppressive, their last interaction hanging over their heads. It was so stupid to have approached him but at the time it felt like he didn’t have any other options. He couldn’t be like this anymore, but he refused to bother Koharu and Hideki about it, whining like some child. They hated having him there as it was.

“Excuse me.”

Standing on the steps outside, Minato turned around and, of course, Souji was there.

“What?” came out ruder than he intended, but Souji didn’t look phased. He only shrugged the backpack off his shoulders and started digging through it. Minato peeked inside. There was a bunch of notebooks and a math textbook from a few grades below theirs.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you,” Souji said. “Things have been hectic lately.”

Knowing Inaba, that was most likely a lie, but Minato chose not to say anything. There was no point in calling Souji’s bluff; things were awkward enough as it was. Minato glanced around. Hamuko was talking to Risette, completely oblivious to what they were up to, and there was no one else on the streets, but this still wasn’t something that should’ve been done in public.

“Here,” Souji said, producing an animal figurine.

Minato looked at it. Looked at Souji. “What is this?”

“Baku talisman.”

“Why?”

“To help you sleep. You know – because it’s a dream eater.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“No,” Souji said. “Why would I?”

Minato didn’t have an answer but it was the only thing that made sense.

“Here.” Souji let his bag hang off one shoulder and held out the talisman again. The ugly little thing was no bigger than his palm, with a fat tummy and long snout, carved from some kind of pale wood. “It should work.”

“That isn’t what I – I’m not paying for that.”

“But – it’ll work,” Souji said again. “I think.”

“This isn’t funny.”

Souji’s face didn’t change but he shifted his weight to one leg, hand on his hip, and Minato felt his chest start tightening nervously as he remembered those black eyes he’d seen in Junes. There had to be about half a foot difference in height and Minato was sleep deprived and hungry; if they were about to start fighting, he was at a serious disadvantage.

“I’m sorry,” Souji said meekly, catching him off-guard. He shifted his weight again, looking and sounding uncomfortable. “Um… I can find you something else.”

Minato frowned. “That’s not… really the issue…”

“Well… here.” Souji held out the talisman and Minato took it without thinking. For such a small thing, it was pretty heavy. Just to make sure, he tried twisting its head off and looked at the bottom. There was no hidden compartment. “You don’t have to pay for this, I’ll find you something else, but… if you won’t tell me what you want, I can’t get it.”

Minato turned the figurine over and over in his hand, running his thumb over the smooth wood. “Is… is this the kind of thing you did for Suzuki and everyone else?”

“More or less. Didn’t you know? You’re the one that came to me.”

“Are you kidding? I thought you were a drug dealer.”

Souji blinked, his lips parting. An awkward silence passed before he asked, “Why would you think that?”

“That’s what everyone is saying, that you’re some kind of delinquent and–”

“They are?”

“Yeah?”

“What? _Why_? How many people? Why would they say that?”

“Wh-? I don’t – some girls in my class were talking about it, and I saw you – I mean, you’re always showing up to school with bruises and black eyes and you’re friends with that guy that took down a rival gang…”

One hand on his hip, Souji covered his mouth with the other, his eyes glazing over and drifting to some point beyond Minato’s shoulder.

“Oh no,” he said.

“Are you not?”

“No!” Souji immediately looked ashamed of his outburst and closed his eyes, pressing the heel of his palm into his forehead. “Sorry… I’m – I’m not like that. I just… get people things.”

“Like… talismans.”

“Sometimes,” Souji sighed, letting his hand fall.

“That doesn’t make any sense. You can get talismans and stuff from the shrine.”

Souji tilted his head left and right like he was looking for the words. “Mine are special.”

He put both hands on his hips. There was a silence while he chewed his lip and stared off down the road, frowning slightly. Minato fidgeted with the carving, trying to comprehend what was going on. The whole thing was messed up to begin with but it had taken a turn he wasn’t expecting. Now he was at a loss.

“I’m so _stupid_ ,” Souji muttered. “I should’ve known, I should’ve been more – wait, what did you think I was going to get you?”

“I don’t know? Prescription sleeping pills or something.”

“And you just walked right up to a stranger and asked for drugs?”

Minato shrugged. It had been a spur of the moment thing, but he’d spent countless hours afterwards worrying about getting caught, reported to the police, and then becoming an even bigger burden on his caretakers. The penalties alone were severe, but he felt at the end of his rope. Constantly tired, constantly burning eyes and hazy mind, his grades were slipping and he was more irritable than ever. The decision was choosing between a bad option and a worse one. Being him, he chose the worse one.

“Right… well, anyway. Try that. It should work.”

“Sure,” Minato said uncertainly. His problem wasn’t nightmares, but he wasn’t about to go into detail. Not that the stupid thing would work, even if that was the problem. “Um – about the money: I’ll pay. How much?”

Souji shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. This whole thing was…”

“Yeah… but you still went through the effort of getting this, so, um… oh, I never told you my name. Not that I’ll forget or won’t pay, but just… you know, so that you know. I’m Minato Arisato.”

“I know,” Souji said. Minato looked at him and Souji shook his head. “It’s – a small town. Gossip.”

Minato nodded, unsure whether or not it was reassuring that he was being talked about.

“Uh… I’m Souji Seta.”

“I know.”

Souji laughed awkwardly at the ground and Minato felt a little more at ease. Half of him wanted to go to bed and never wake up so that he would never have to deal with this awkwardness again. He never could get the hang of socializing, but this wasn’t so bad, all things considered. At the very least he could see the humor in it and Souji wasn’t making him feel bad for making such a stupid mistake.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Hamuko stepped out of the store, cheeks flushed but smiling politely when she met Souji’s eyes. They exchanged simple greetings and then Hamuko held up a plastic bag. “We’re all set.”

Minato nodded, shoving the talisman in his pocket, along with the advertisement for the translation job. Souji watched, their conversation still hanging between them, and the smile slowly left his face, falling back into its usual cool lines. That cold face that kept getting him beat up, which was apparently unrelated to his business ventures. There was no sign at all of the anxiety that had overtaken him when he first found out about the rumors, nor of the awkwardness of his introduction. He was like a different person altogether.

“Goodbye,” Souji said simply.

Minato nodded and the twins left. Hamuko, for her part, at least waited until they were down the street before giving him the third degree.

 

* * *

 

“Hurry up,” Minato said. “I’m fine with whatever.”

Hamuko watched him head for Marukyu’s door. Souji’s eyes were on him as he spoke to Risette, telling her he was simply early for his bus, and there was a slight frown on his face.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, and he followed after.

Left alone with Risette, Hamuko turned back to the display she was standing in front of. The comfortable and happy mood she’d walked into the store with was gone so quickly it was almost jarring, leaving her feeling awkward and not understanding why.

“Is that your brother?”

Hamuko looked up. Risette was watching her with a permanently affixed smile, a customer service smile, and speaking just to fill the silence. In such a small shop, it felt too awkward to just ignore each other. In some way Hamuko was thankful for it. In another, she just wanted to get out of there.

“You two look a little alike,” Risette explained, pointing to her own eyes.

“Yep, he’s my twin,” Hamuko said, “but we’re just fraternal. Obviously.”

“A twin, huh? That sounds fun.” A pause while her eyes darted over to where the boys stood, and then, “Are you friends of Senpai’s?”

Hamuko paused, not sure how to answer. As far as she knew, Minato hadn’t made any friends yet and she’d never seen him talk to Souji before, but there they were. Something wasn’t adding up. Unless she had missed something while working. It would be like Minato not to tell her anything.

“Apparently my brother is.” Hamuko turned back to Risette, trying her own usual smile, but it just felt like peeling her lips back. For one of the rare times in her life, her mind was completely blank, at a loss for what to say. What came out was, “I don’t have any friends.”

An awkward, awkward silence.

“I mean – we just moved here. A… a few months ago but, uh…”

Hamuko could feel her cheeks heating up. Even admitting something so embarrassing, it wasn’t like her to stumble over her words or screw up so badly. Risette was probably going to think she was some creepy fan but she wasn’t a fan at all and that was probably even worse.

“I understand,” Risette said kindly, and bless her but it did nothing to make Hamuko feel any better. “I just moved here, too.”

“Yeah, I know. You were on TV.”

Sometimes about Risette’s smile became tight. More and more eager to get out of there, Hamuko grabbed the nearest brick of tofu and headed for the register. With Risette’s attention on the transaction, Hamuko got her first good look at her. The kind of money and expensive skincare reserved for celebrities had done wonders. Up close, she practically glowed. Lowering her head to hide behind her bangs, Hamuko stared at Risette’s hands. Her perfectly manicured nails, taken care of right down to the cuticle.

Intimidated was probably what that uncomfortable feeling was. Compared to an idol, a regular girl really wasn’t anything. Especially makeup-less and wearing a plain dress that showed off her chicken legs and weird knees.

“Are you – will you be going to Yasogami?” A conversation had been opened between them; the polite thing was to continue it. Besides, the silence was somehow even worse than their conversation.

“Yep, I’m starting Monday.”

“Oh.” Hamuko stared at the old wood counter, not thinking before she blurted out, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Risette tilted her head curiously with something challenging in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean because you’re… you.”

A silent moment passed before Risette handed over the change. “I’m sure.”

Hamuko blinked and grabbed the plastic bag Risette was holding out. “Yeah. Okay. Well, maybe I’ll see you around, then.” Risette just smiled some more so Hamuko added a hasty, “Bye,” and headed out before she could embarrass herself more.

 

* * *

 

Leaning against the bike rack, Yosuke filtered through the songs on his MP3 player at a rhythm of ten seconds. Students passed by but none of them paid him any mind. He’d been sitting there for a long time. Too long. Long enough that the metal bar was digging in and he was probably going to bruise, but there wasn’t really anywhere else he could go. If he left to look for Souji then they might accidentally miss each other. Then Souji would figure he forgot about their plans to hang out and head home.

They hadn’t had a chance to talk about it all day because Souji had vanished with that Ai girl – and the only reason Yosuke knew was because he caught them on their way out. After class, Souji had been excused to deliver something to the faculty office and since it was so close to last bell, he took his stuff with him.

But now, as Yosuke waited, his gut started to sink with the realization that Souji had never left Yosuke waiting before – he was always on time and eager to hang out – but maybe that was all just pity and Souji was finally sick of him. Maybe there was just some kind of obligation because he’d seen Yosuke’s Shadow. After leaving early, he even had a headstart in getting here. If he was going to be there, he would already.

Yosuke chewed his lip, switched songs, and pushed the thought out of his head. Souji wasn’t like that. He was a busy guy. Always doing something.

A pressure to Yosuke’s forehead pushed his head back. He instinctively slapped it away. Kou stood in front of him, pointing to the bike Yosuke was resting a foot on the pedal of.

“I need my bike, please,” he said as soon as Yosuke lowered his headphones.

“Oh – yeah, sorry.”

Kou knelt down and started unlocking the chain. “You waiting for someone?”

“Souji. We’re going to Okina today.”

“Souji?” Kou looked up at him, frowning through his fringe. “Souji’s in drama club. I just walked him there.”

Yosuke stared at him and Kou nodded.

“Yeah, ran into him outside the faculty office.”

A silence passed between them.

“Oh,” Yosuke said.

Kou stood, brushing off his knees as he gave Yosuke a look he could only see as pitying. Or knowing. Or something. Yosuke couldn’t look at him long enough to figure it out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kou fidgeting awkwardly.

“Well,” Kou said, “I’ve seen the drama club in action. I went in there to get something while they were practicing once. Probably for the best that he’s there; they need all the help they can get.”

The laugh Yosuke forced was clearly fake but nothing was said about it. He got to his feet and pulled his own bike free of the rack. He hadn’t expected it and wasn’t even sure he wanted it, but Kou waited for him. They set off together, sitting on their bikes and lazily pushing them along, not speaking.

Too much was going on in Yosuke’s head. Common sense said that it should be Souji he was mad at, and maybe he was, but that inadequate feeling was still there. That no matter how he was trying, he still wasn’t good enough.

“I’m going this way.”

Yosuke snapped out of it in time to notice they were at a crossroads. Kou jerked his head to the right, down a road that led to an older part of town.

“Oh. Alright, see you.”

Kou didn’t move right away.

“Hey, look. If… if it makes you feel better, he’s done it to me before. Promises to come to basketball, then I see him walking off with – well, sometimes you. He’s a good guy and I don’t think he does it on purpose, but…”

Kou’s words trailed off. Yosuke nodded and tried saying something, but all that came out was some kind of grunt. It was enough for Kou, however, and he raised his hand in a lazy wave as he pushed his bike down the road, speaking over his shoulder.

“See you at school tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

Yosuke watched him go for a moment before continuing straight though the crossroad.

Whatever Kou said, it didn’t make him feel any better. Souji was his best friend, his partner – Yosuke should’ve been different. ‘More important’ seemed an ugly way to put it, but that was pretty much what he was getting at. It wasn’t exactly the best way to think but he couldn’t stop.

Alone, his thoughts were even worse.

 

* * *

 

“Here you go.”

Never one for ceremony, Hamuko put the envelope down on the table in front of Koharu and, before she could say anything, turned on her heel, and headed for the stairs.

“Wait.” The chair scraped against the floor as Koharu stood, envelope in hand. She opened it and pulled out a couple banknotes. “What’s this for?”

“Room and board. For Minato and me.” She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, vaguely in the direction of their room. “He’s still looking for a job, but…”

“Did my uncle make you do this kind of thing while you were staying with him?”

“Nah. I kept leaving money on the table for him, though. He ignored it for as long as possible but they started falling behind in bills. Then he didn’t have a choice. Didn’t help much. Obviously. Since now we’re here.”

“Oh… I didn’t know. Well,” Koharu held out the envelope, “I don’t want you guys to feel you have to do things like this. This is your home. We’re taking care of you.”

‘For now’ was on the tip of her tongue, along with snide thoughts of moral and familial obligations. Hamuko swallowed and buried it all with a smile.

“Exactly,” she said, “so it’s our responsibility to help out.”

“Not like this. Here.” Koharu waved the envelope again. Hamuko didn’t take it. “Here! I know you’ve been working hard. Take that money you earned and spend it on things you want.”

Hamuko chewed her cheek, biting down hard when hot anger started swelling in her chest. Every time, no matter where or with who they lived, they were spoken down to and treated like useless, pitiable children. No matter how hard she tried just to keep everything flowing smoothly, to show that she was a normal, functioning person, they never let her.

Koharu gave the envelope another flourish and Hamuko forced a laugh, taking a step backwards. She said as playfully as possible, “You can’t make me take it.”

She turned away, the smile sliding off her face. This time when Koharu called out, she didn’t stop. Minato was sitting on the top of the stairs, chin rested on his hand and an apathetic look on his face. They looked at each other as she passed, neither saying anything. There were bags under his eyes; he still wasn’t sleeping.

The next morning, the envelope was on the floor outside the twins’ room, every bill still in there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey check out [this gorgeous art](http://graveyardgardenparty.tumblr.com/post/148703558162/been-reading-neonsigns-orbital-on-ao3-and) :*

A sharp pain between his shoulder blades and Souji sucked air through his teeth. When he turned around in his seat, Yosuke had his chin on his hand and a bored look on his face, spinning the offending pen around his thumb.

“What?”

“Did you talk to your uncle yet?”

“About the licenses? I texted you about it last night, didn’t you see?”

Yosuke shrugged. “Must’ve missed it.”

“He’s fine with it. He –”

Morooka’s sharp voice cut across the room and Souji turned back around.

Whatever was going on with Yosuke, he’d been weird all day. It wasn’t the first time. There were times when trying to be cheerful was too much, but those times he would just keep his headphones on more than normal. This time felt different. Not only had the texts yesterday had gone unanswered, but he’d spent all morning with his arms crossed, barely joining in the group’s conversations.

Bad days happened. Sometimes you just needed space. And Souji had seen his Shadow, so Yosuke knew he didn’t have to fake being happy around him. That could’ve been all it was.

But the nagging feeling it was all his fault wouldn’t quit. Souji’s leg started bouncing. Middle of class and his heart was racing like he’d run a marathon.

As soon as lunch began, Souji turned in his seat. Yosuke was already getting to his feet.

“Wait, hey – would you like do something after school?”

Yosuke picked at the stitching of his uniform. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, anything. I don’t have work or clubs today.”

“You didn’t think that maybe I have something to do?”

“Do you?”

Yosuke chewed his cheek, turning his head. “I’m working tonight.”

“Is – is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Any number of reasons. The murders, Saki, the exhaustion of their explorations of the other world getting to him, school, work, the Junes kid gossip. Souji knew how much he – everyone on their team – was dealing with. But the venom in Yosuke’s voice, it had to be directed at Souji.

“Did I do something?”

Yosuke stared at him. Souji stared back. Yosuke snorted.

“Can’t be that big of a deal if you don’t even remember.”

Souji got to his feet. “Hey –”

“ _What_ , Souji? I don’t have all day. I’m busy too, you know? I’ve got things to do.”

Souji was reeling, his heart racing. He’d never been in a fight before and he was pretty sure that was what this was bordering on. Terror bled through his body, all the way down to his toes, but at the same time, an irritated urge told him to just leave Yosuke the hell alone like he clearly wanted.

But if it was Souji’s fault, then he had to make it right.

While he hesitated, Yosuke shook his head and walked away.

Souji took one step after him and bony fingers closed around his upper arm.

“Seta, you didn’t forget about the Health Association meeting this afternoon, did you?” When Souji just stared at him, the usual look of annoyance twisted Morooka’s face. “Close your mouth, you think I wanna look at that? Answer me, you didn’t forget, did you?”

“O–of course not, sir.” Morooka let go of his arm and Souji took a subtle step backwards, trying to distance himself from an overpowering stench of cologne and cigarettes. “But I thought I was done with that.”

“A member’s sick, they need you again. Is there a problem?”

“No problem, sir.”

Morooka nodded and parted with one last threat, leaving Souji to stare at the blackboard while his thoughts swirled like dust. Slowly, he lowered his eyes and found Chie and Yukiko watching him. He’d forgotten they were there. They saw all of it and were giving him pitying looks. He returned them with a forced smile and headed for the door before they could say anything.

In the hall, he almost ran flat into Rise.

“This is convenient; I came here looking for you.” She held up a lunch box. “Come to the roof with me.”

“I –” had to go find Yosuke, find out what was wrong, apologize, fix everything. But if Yosuke wanted to be left alone, then Souji didn’t want to force his company on him. The worst possible thing would be for Yosuke to start hating him for being clingy. He’d already skipped a lot of club meetings just to hang out with him. Too much would come off as needy and creepy.

“Senpai? You alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice. Let’s go.”

Rise beamed and he followed her up to the roof. When he opened the door, he glanced around, half-heartedly looking for Yosuke. The only other people there were a couple on the far side, sitting close together.

“I hope you like it,” Rise said as they sat on the ducts. “It’s nothing special, just broccoli and tofu, but I spent a lot of time on it.”

“I’m sure it’s delicious.”

As he ate, he listened to her tell some story about the kids in her class. Letting her set the pace. It didn’t completely get rid of the tension in his shoulders, but it helped. It also let him focus on the food, which was manageable at first, but –

“Hey, you remember a few days ago when you came to see me at the shop? Who was that boy you ran into?”

Souji forced himself to swallow, immediately regretting it. “Someone I got something for in the other world.”

“Oh, so you don’t know him that well, huh? I was talking to his sister a bit. She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

Souji nodded, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I saw her on the way to come see you and was worried she was coming for you too.” Rise laughed a little playfully but it quickly faded. “Last thing I need is another, uh… rival – are you alright?”

He kept his head down so she couldn’t see his face. “Spicy,” was all he managed.

“Yeah, that’s the – oh, you don’t like it.”

The disappointment in her voice forced him to shake his head. “I do, I like spice, it’s just…”

Rise sighed, dug through her bag for a carton of milk, and handed it to him. He could see her out of the corner of his eye as he downed most of it in one go, but thankfully couldn’t make out her expression.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“S’okay,” Souji gasped, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He could practically hear his mother’s disapproving tsk at his poor manners. “It’s really good. I just… wasn’t prepared.”

Rise giggled. “You’re funny, Senpai. You don’t have to lie to protect me, I can handle it.”

A breeze blew and Souji opened his mouth to take a deep breath, desperate enough to hope the cool air would help. Rise took the food from him and tried a bit herself but quickly put the lid back on and placed it on the duct beside her, sighing quietly.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Souji told her. “Any of us.”

“I could’ve died. And taken you all with me, the way the fight with my Shadow went.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Because of you.”

“Because of Teddie,” Souji said. “And if it hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t have been able to fight him, too. If you really wanna pay me back, then you already have. We’re on even footing, it’s alright.”

Rise sighed and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, lowering her eyes to the ground. “You’re so nice…”

“It’s just the truth.”

“Truth comes easier to some people than it does others,” Rise said softly. She looked up at him, none of the traces of darkness in her voice visible on her face. “But… anyway, thanks.”

The breeze had blown a piece of her hair out of place. Souji reached over to fix it. She looked at him with wide eyes. He smiled, the tension finally gone from his back.

It was nice, sitting there with her. Just nice. Simple. No one asking him to do anything, just Rise with all her attention on him, and it made him feel guilty but it was nice have someone trying to do things for him instead of the other way around. There was something going on with Yosuke, but right then it seemed manageable. They just needed space. Between school and the investigation, they had been spending a lot of time together and no matter how well two people got along, they needed time to themselves. Eventually things would go back to normal. They’d go to Okina or –

Souji stood.

Okina. _Okina_.

“What’s wrong?”

Souji slowed, emotions flooding in and twisting together. He was just as ashamed as he was angry. If that was the problem, then why hadn’t Yosuke just said so? Why all the drama? It was so stupid but it was also Souji’s fault. A bad friend and a worse person – what right did he have to get mad?

“Souji-senpai?”

“Sorry.” After another brief hesitation, he sat back down, feeling so much that he felt nothing at all. “Just remembered something.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah.”

Lunch would be over soon; there wasn’t enough time to hunt Yosuke down and solve things. Or maybe he shouldn’t even try. He was the absolute worst, he had no right to force his company on anyone, especially when they clearly didn’t want him around. Yosuke had every right to be mad at him.

“Hey, you can talk to me about it.” Rise touched his arm gently. “I know I’m new but maybe I can give you a fresh perspective. And I’d like to know you all better. Especially you, Senpai.”

Souji looked at her as he thought. She held his gaze but eventually turned away, her cheeks slightly pink. Souji sighed and followed suit, watching the couple across the roof.

“Thank you. But some other time, alright?”

“Sure. I’ll be here.”

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

The thing was, it was hard to give each other space when there was one aspect of their life they’d promised never to do without each other. As they made their way back to the Marukyu Striptease, Souji debated with himself whether or not he should bring Yosuke with him as part of the group, or to leave him on guard duty out front.

“How’s your training going, Teddie?” Chie asked. "You’re looking a lot better.”

“I’m gonna be a whole new bear soon, you’ll see!”

“I’m sorry to interrupt it,” Souji added over his shoulder, “but I do really need to find something for someone.”

Yosuke caught Souji’s eye. Souji turned back around.

Bringing him in there would force them to interact, which could be exactly what they needed, or the opposite of what Yosuke wanted. Leaving him seemed cold and distant, especially since Souji knew what he did wrong and had yet to apologize.

He wasn’t used to this. He’d had friends before but there was never any kind of conflict because they were never close enough to really care about what the others did. They were all just shallow friendships he didn’t put much stock in because he knew they would end. Inaba should’ve been the same, but with the investigation, he was never given the choice of distance.

Lately it seemed he wasn’t really given a lot of choice in general.

“Actually,” Souji said, “will we really find something here?”

“I was thinking ‘bout that,” Kanji said. “You said this guy’s got trouble sleeping but… this place seems like it’d had more stuff that, uh, keeps you awake.”

“The nose knows,” Teddie said, touching his paw to his lack of one. “I’ll find you something for sure, I won’t let you down again!”

“Maybe it’s in his head,” Yosuke said so quietly Souji almost didn’t hear him. “If he doesn’t really think it’ll work, then it won’t. Everything else we’ve found has worked for people.”

“What do you mean?” Souji asked.

Yosuke sighed pointedly. Eyes still on the floor, he looked like he regretted saying anything. “I’ve been thinking about the stuff we find here, and what we were saying before how we always find what we want. Even the rings and bracelets and stuff. This whole place reflects people’s minds, so… I dunno, it makes sense if all that stuff is just the power of suggestion.”

There was a bit of a surprised silence before Chie said, “Hey, that’s pretty smart for you, Yosuke.”

“Shut up.”

Souji thought for a moment. “Minato thought I was a drug dealer. It would make sense if he didn’t think a talisman would…”

Everyone looked at him. Even Yosuke, whose mouth was open. Yukiko looked enthralled.

“Apparently there are rumors about me,” Souji explained. “The bruises and how I’m always getting things for people. Because I’m from the city, too. So… I think Minato will be my last customer. I don’t want word getting back to Dojima.”

They walked on for a bit, with the group (sans Yosuke) teasing Souji about the rumours, then in turn wondering if there were any about them. Guilt by association, Kanji said, adding that his presence probably didn’t help. A few Shadows came after them, but they were easily defeated.

In the end, Souji did decide to bring Yosuke inside as part of the group, along with Kanji and Yukiko. And as soon as their conversation shifted to a point where he didn’t have to contribute, Souji took a steeling breath and slowed his pace until he was walking side-by-side with Yosuke.

“I’m sorry about Okina,” he said before he could second guess himself.

Yosuke toyed with his kunai, digging at the expensive leather wrapping around the hilt. Souji watched his hands, wondering if he should explain. Explaining was just excusing. Every time he tried it with his parents, that was what they said. That they didn’t want to hear excuses about why he didn’t do better on that test or why he left dishes in the sink overnight, making them come home to a dirty house. They wanted change. Actions mattered.

“No, I –” Yosuke clicked his tongue. “I was being stupid about it, it just - it kinda sucks. I was really looking forward to it. Thought you were too.”

“I was.”

“Obviously not that much,” Yosuke bit. He looked ashamed but didn’t take it back. “And I’m not the only person you’ve done it to, you know?”

Souji’s grip was so tight on his sword his knuckles were starting to ache. He swallowed, buried the hurt. Yosuke had a right to be angry. As much as he did enjoy hanging out with his friends, sometimes he found himself wishing they would just leave him alone. All he wanted was a couple days to himself. Just some quiet time to read or do nothing at all. He hadn’t intentionally forgotten anyone, but he may as well have. The guilt was still there knowing that he sometimes considered it.

“I’m sorry,” Souji said again. “I’ll do better.”

“You make everything sound so serious,” Yosuke half-laughed. “It’s alright, just…”

“No, I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Are you still up for taking our scooters to Okina?”

“For the plan?” Yosuke looked skeptical. “Didn’t think you were that excited about it. ‘You’re such a kindergartener, Yosuke.’”

“If it’ll cheer you up, I’ll do it.”

“Jeez, you cornball.” Yosuke grinned and smacked Souji’s arm. “Alright, but you’re buying lunch.”

Souji scoffed. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

Yosuke twisted his back until his muscles pulled and his spine cracked. Fifty-four more minutes of stocking shelves and then he would have his break. Then it was just three hours until closing. His dad was working, meaning he had a ride home and didn’t have to bike. Could be worse.

On a larger scale, Souji had apologized, Yosuke had easily passed his license exam, and the Okina plan was back on. Things were back to what passed for his new normal.

Could be worse. Things could always be worse.

He sighed and put another container of curry mix on the shelf.

That didn’t change the fact that they still sucked at least a moderate amount. There was a cloud hanging over everything, no matter how he tried staying positive. It was this tired ache that settled in, always in the back of his head, at the core of his bones. A haziness that fogged his mind and a loneliness that settled over him at night when he couldn’t distract himself.

“Psst.”

Yosuke turned as someone reached for the box he’d just put on the shelf.

“Hey,” Kou said. “Hope you’re not working too hard; you look awful.”

“Please, I only ever work hard. Besides, you’re not looking so great yourself.”

“Late night last night, that’s all.” Kou held up the curry mix. “That’s why I’m not making anything fancy tonight. But what about you? How are things?”

It didn’t take a genius to know what he was really asking about. Their last meeting had been awkward enough to haunt them for at least a little while. Yosuke put another box on the shelf while he considered his answer.

He liked Kou, he did, but they weren’t exactly friends. They’d known each other since first year but they’d never really hung out outside of school. There were times they ran into each other while one or the other was with Souji, and he acted like a bridge. They were friends of a friend.

“Everything’s fine,” Yosuke said. He was about to leave it at that until he remembered Kou saying Souji had done the same thing to him. “Not that it was really that big of a deal, but he apologized. Has he said anything to you?”

“He apologized to me too. That’s why I was wondering if something happened.”

Yosuke scoffed, looking up and down the aisle. Last thing he needed was his dad seeing him talking to someone. Kou noticed.

“Sorry,” he said, “I won’t keep you –”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I’m gonna go. If you get in trouble, just blame it all on me. Say it’s rude to deny customers what they want.” Kou smiled and took a step back, but paused, tilting his head and looking like he was thinking. “Actually, hey – you like girls.”

Yosuke blinked, then started laughing. “ _What_?”

“It’s a surprise, so you _can’t_ tell him, but Souji and I are – or I guess mostly me, I’m putting together a blind group date for Daisuke. I was gonna keep it small, just the three of us, but… you wanna come with? Maybe more people would make it more relaxed, and he’d probably like it if you were there, he likes you. Thinks you’re funny.”

Yosuke kept laughing a little, caught off-guard by one thing after another, but definitely a little flattered. “Who’re the girls?”

“Just some girls I know in Okina,” Kou said, dismissively waving his hand. “You in?”

“Definitely.”

“Nice,” Kou grinned. He started digging in his pocket for his phone. “Give me your contact info and I’ll message you the details. Just as soon as I figure it all out.”

As soon as that was settled, he took another step back and didn’t stop, waving and saying his goodbyes. And Yosuke smiled as he waved back, feeling surprisingly better.

 

* * *

 

Kou was closest to the classroom door when Souji poked his head in during lunch break, greeting him with his usual smile. Apparently he had already moved beyond Souji’s screw up and apology, which was appreciated. For a moment it hit him, how lucky he was to be surrounded by such good, kind people. It was as much a warm feeling as it was an intimidating one. He really needed to do better.

“Is Minato here?”

Kou shook his head, crossing his arms and shrugging. “He didn’t come to school today. Or yesterday.”

“He’s sick,” said a third voice.

Souji looked right. Hamuko was sitting on a desk, eating from a bag of snacks. A girl sat in the chair before her, looking over her shoulder at who was interrupting their conversation.

While Souji wondered if it had anything to do with why he couldn’t sleep, Kou asked, “Is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine. Happens a lot. What do you need him for?”

“I just wanted to give him something,” Souji said.

“I can give it to him.” Hamuko spoke thickly around a full mouth as she hopped off the desk, brushing the crumbs off her fingers onto her skirt. She held out her hand. “Here.”

Souji looked at her hand, then her, hesitating. It had been hard enough trying to explain the talisman to Minato, who he’d thought had known what he would be getting, nevermind trying to explain what was in his pocket to a third party. Unless Minato told her about it. They were twins, after all. Siblings were always close. Or maybe she knew the rumours about him and he was making things worse by not wanting to show her what he had for her brother. Souji’s mind kept turning but with her and Kou staring at him, all it came up with was meaningless static.

Hamuko lowered her hand. “What?”

“Nothing.” Souji stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small wooden sheep. “Here.”

Hamuko looked at it. Looked at Souji. “What is this?”

“A sheep.”

“Why?”

Souji shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

Hamuko laughed disbelievingly. Even Kou was looking at him a little strangely. Slowly, he asked, “Why’re you giving Minato a toy sheep?”

“It’s not a toy,” Souji said, holding it up so they could get a better look at it. “It’s just a gift. That’s all.”

“I didn’t realize you guys were friends…” Hamuko squinted. “Did you give him an elephant too? There’s one beside his bed but when I asked about it, he gave me some garbage about it being magic. Couldn’t get a straight answer out of him.”

“That’s a baku. And yeah.”

“ _Why_ …?”

Souji shrugged again. It probably would’ve been easier to wait until Minato came back to school rather than get into this situation, but maybe the sheep would help him get better. He thought he might’ve read once that a lack of sleep harmed your immune system. If Souji had found it sooner and not gotten tied up with work and training and everything else, maybe he could’ve prevented Minato getting sick at all.

While he struggled to think of what to say, someone touched his arm. He looked down to see Rise standing with him in the doorway, standing close.

“There you are, Senpai, I was looking for you.” She looked at Hamuko and Kou and smiled kindly. “Hello.”

Kou responded easily but something became rigid about Hamuko’s countenance. She crossed her arms and the smile she gave was visibly tight. “We keep running in to each other.”

“It’s a pretty small school,” Rise said.

“Ha, yeah…”

Kou picked up on the uneasy atmosphere and shot Hamuko a sidelong look that she didn’t catch, somewhere between amusement and confusion, then looked to Souji. Souji shrugged.

“Anyways,” he said, deciding to push while she was off-balance, “will you give this to your brother for me?”

“Yeah, I guess. Sure.” Hamuko took the sheep Souji was holding out and looked down at it uncertainly. “But you know, Minato’s not really… a sheep kind of person. You wanna give him a gift that badly, I could tell you a bunch of video games he wants.”

“Everyone always likes Senpai’s gifts,” Rise said. Hamuko gave in, smiling a little.

“If you say so. Just don’t expect him to – I dunno, blush and giggle or whatever.”

Souji chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not.”

 

* * *

 

The sun beat down on the back of Souji’s head, his shoulders, as he stared at his clasped hands. Bent over on the seat of his scooter like he could shield himself from the argument behind him. Kanji was ready to admit defeat and head home but Yosuke wanted to stay until at least one of them had a number. Souji was with Kanji and secretly rooting for him, but he stayed silent out of loyalty to Yosuke. The whole reason he was there was because he’d messed up and was making up for it. And it would make Yosuke really happy to have this work out.

Souji got to his feet. “We shouldn’t give up yet.”

Yosuke’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Yeah, see? We can do this!”

“Gimme a couple minutes,” Souji said, “I can fix this.”

People were people and people were generally simple. Souji had introduced himself to countless classmates over the years, had just as many friends, been polite and held idle conversation with his parents’ coworkers. He’d had exactly one girlfriend and, granted it had been her that asked him out and generally steered the course of the short-lived relationship, but he could do this.  

At least that was what he had thought. Then he was standing under the awning of the theater to escape the sun, wringing his hands anxiously. No numbers in his phone and the crushing weight of failure bearing down on him. Not only had he humiliated himself in front of countless girls, but there was the added sting of not being able to turn this into a success for his friend.

“Souji?” Minato walked out of the theater, sipping from an extra-large fountain pop. He seemed to be alone, looking around and realizing the same about Souji. The next words out of his mouth were, “Did you get stood up?”

Souji narrowed his eyes. “Why is that the first conclusion you came to?”

Minato shrugged, now apparently too busy drinking to answer properly.

“What about you? Are you alone?”

Minato nodded.

“I thought you were sick.”

Minato shrugged.

“Hm.” Souji looked up and down the street, only realising he was looking for Yosuke or Kanji when he didn’t find them. He turned back to Minato. “You never told me the talisman didn’t work.”

Minato pulled the straw out of his mouth. It was chewed and completely ruined. “You really thought it was going to, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Did Hamuko give you the sheep?”

“Yeah. And no, it’s not working either.” Minato shook his head. “Anyway, whatever. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ll live.”

With that, he went back to chewing on his straw. Vaguely acknowledging the fact he wasn’t in any rush to leave, Souji watched for a moment before looking around. There were groups of friends and couples and families, and then them.

“You’re brave,” Souji said. When Minato frowned at him, he explained, “I wouldn’t have the nerve to go to the theater by myself. I’d be too embarrassed.”

“Why? What’s the worst that’d happen? People you don’t even know and will never see again make some comment you’ll never hear?”

“Yes? Exactly.”

“Who cares,” Minato said. “People are gonna talk no matter what. Might as well do what you want. But I guess I don’t have to tell you that.”

Souji chuckled. “Who would’ve thought Inaba’s resident drug dealer would be so self-conscious, huh?”

Minato laughed, a warm laugh with raspy undertones, Souji smiled, and somewhere in the back of his head, he could feel something. Nozuchi. Not a sound or any kind of discernable language, just its existence. That feeling of moving a limb that was in one position for so long you stopped feeling it. He scratched his temple. Months of this and he could never get used to the feeling. The others mentioned being able to feel their Personas sometimes, but his powers were different and it never really stopped. It bothered him more. Just another thing that was making this quiet town the noisiest in his life.

Digging his nail in a little harder, Souji asked, “Do you do it often? Going to the movies alone?”

Minato nodded and shrugged at the same time. This time when he took a sip through his mangled straw, it sounded like the drink was empty.

“If you ever want company, you could ask me. I love going to the movies.”

Minato threw his drink into a nearby garbage can. Just as Souji was about to take it back, dull the impact by adding something about how he didn’t have to if he didn’t want to, no pressure, no obligation, Minato mumbled, “Maybe.”

That one little word caught Souji off-guard, filling him with a kind of happiness. Minato had the air of someone who kept to himself. Having those types of people open up to you always came with a sense of pride.

“You should give me your number,” Souji said, halfway through the sentence before he remembered what he was actually supposed to be doing right then. “So that… I can… uh…”

Minato must’ve taken his hesitation as shyness. For a heartbeat, Souji could’ve sworn he saw something like pity or understanding on his face as he pulled out his phone. Then it was no longer clear which of them was doing the other a favor.

“I’m not much fun to hang out with,” Minato said as the infrared did its thing.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

Minato’s lashes fluttered like he was trying not to roll his eyes and he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Okay… see you.”

“Oh – goodbye.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left. Just before he turned up the stairs that would take him back to the station, he kicked a can that ended up hitting someone in the back of the leg. He quickened his pace and disappeared.

Before Souji could catch up with what just happened, he heard Yosuke’s voice. He and Kanji were by the scooters, waving him over.

“How’d it go?”

“In a direction I wasn’t expecting,” Souji said.

Yosuke lit up instantly. “Then you got a number?”

For a moment Souji did consider lying. That no, he just wasn’t expecting girls to immune to his charms, but they were, sorry. But that hopeful look on Yosuke’s face was digging right into Souji’s weakest points. He nodded.

That was how he got roped into calling.

Souji listened to the ringing, praying Minato wouldn’t answer. He seemed like the type that simply wouldn’t if he didn’t feel like talking and he also seemed like the type that didn’t feel like talking an awful lot, so maybe for once in his life, Souji’s luck would pull through and –

“What?”

Despite the situation and the eyes be could feel on him, Souji laughed. “Is that how you always answer the phone?”

“Sorry… Why’re you calling me already?”

“Wait,” Yosuke said slowly, leaning closer, “I can hear – that’s a guy’s voice.”

Kanji caught Souji’s wide eyes and Souji turned away as if he could take the voice with him.

“I’m already on the train,” Minato was saying, “and I’m not sitting through two movies in a row. Sorry you got stood up but –”

“I didn’t - that’s fine, I just… have a question, actually,” Souji said, thinking as fast as he could. “About… the sheep.”

“The sheep.”

“The sheep. Do you believe it’ll work?”

“No…?”

“Try, please. It’ll make you feel better, I promise, but you have to believe it will. And I’ll try to find you something else in the meantime.”

“What? No! I didn’t even want the _sheep_ ,” Minato groaned. “I told you, it’s fine. I can’t afford all this; I shouldn’t have even gone to the movies today, but –”

“And I told you not to worry about paying me. I promised to help so I’m going to. That’s all this is. Look, I have to go. Please believe in the sheep.” Souji snapped his phone shut and turned his attention back to Yosuke and Kanji. “That was Minato. I saw him at the theater all alone, so I told him to give me a call next time he wants to go.”

“Oh, so… it’s just like a hangout kind of thing.” Yosuke let out a breath of laughter and elbowed Souji’s side. “I was wondering! You surprised me for a second there. You could’ve just said so.”

“Wait a second, you told me guys don’t count,” Kanji said. “Why’s it okay if he does it?”

“Why, did you want a guy’s number?”

“That – that ain’t what I’m saying! But if you’re gonna change the rules–”

“Anyway, Minato’s just Souji’s friend, it’s not like that.” Yosuke sighed and looked down at him own phone. “Whatever, today was a bust. Time to call it quits.”

“I’m sorry,” Souji said.

“Not your fault.”

Yosuke jangled his keys against his leg. The sun, now beginning to set, cast everything into an orange light, the sky was a pale pink, and a damp breeze was starting to blow. A heavy fog was to set in that night, but Rise was safe and sound, so there was nothing to worry about.

“You know, we should do something over the summer,” Yosuke said. “Beach trip or something. With our licenses, world’s our oyster, right?”

“I’ve never been to the beach before.” Souji wasn’t able to keep the wonder out of his voice.

“Man,” Kanji said, “you serious?”

Yosuke grinned. “Alright, then we’re definitely going.”

“Cool.” Souji was surprised just how much he meant it when he said, “I’m excited. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i don't know if this even needs clarifying but i'm Paranoid™.  
> in-game, because of game mechanics, rise and teddie join at the same time but here, they rescue rise pretty early, so she's already healing and then in school while teddie stays in the TV world. but she doesn't officially join the team until later.  
> getting their licenses and the okina hunt happen a lot later too. obv.  
> ヽ(￣～￣　)ノ


	5. Chapter 5

Souji’s eyes were stinging, both from how tired he was and because he hadn’t blinked in a while. He supposed he should do that. So, he did. He moved his fingers too. Just a small twitch and the smallest joint on his index popped because it had been so long since he’d – when had he started clutching his arm? It hurt where his fingers dug in.

The tree he was sitting against was uncomfortable, the rough bark digging into his back. If he would just slouch down a little, curve his spine, he’d be more comfortable. But without the sharp pain, he would end up falling asleep. He shouldn’t fall asleep. Not there on the riverbank, and not with the string of muggings he and Chie had heard about.

A breeze blew. Souji blinked.

There were countless more stars in the countryside than in the city. In the city, you were lucky to see anything beyond the smog and light pollution. At the same time, it made the sky pretty colours. The night sky in the country was never anything but the richest navy or darkest black. In the city, you had purples and pinks. Souji liked both, but sometimes he did miss those colours.

Voices echoed from some distance behind him. From the pavilion. A group of Yasogami students were there, talking and laughing loudly. He’d seen them on his way over, recognized them from brief passes in the hallways.

He wondered if they cared about what had happened. He wasn’t even sure he did. Care was the wrong word. He was affected. That sounded selfish. But he wondered if they were affected too. It didn’t sound like it.

Souji wrapped his arms around his knees and felt the pull in his neck as his head rolled forwards. There was a dull throbbing in his temple. He shouldn’t fall asleep. But the day had been so, so long.

A breeze blew. Every blink was becoming longer than the last.

Teddie was on their side for good now, Rise had decided to join the fight, but they were no further in the investigation than they had been when they started. Things kept twisting and making less sense than ever before. They were all counting on him and he couldn’t even lead them forward.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to see a message from Rise, asking about their plans to get together and study. Souji replied and, before he closed his phone, scrolled up and hovered over Minato’s name.

One of the students in the pavilion laughed loudly and it seemed logical they were laughing at him. Laughing because he was sitting all alone like a freak.

‘Who cares,’ Minato had said. ‘People are gonna talk no matter what.’

To be so carefree.

That was only yesterday. It felt a million years ago.

Mind blank, Souji opened a message to him.

>We should go to the movies tomorrow.

He waited, but no reply came quickly. Not that he was really expecting it, but he still managed to get disappointed. And then nervous. Maybe it was weird to invite him so soon after exchanging information. The offer had been for Minato to invite him, after all. But it would be nice to do something with someone so laidback, someone unconnected to everything that was going on.

Souji dragged himself to his feet, staggering dizzily. The fatigue was worse standing but he needed to be home, working, instead of wasting time doing nothing at all. There was a lesson plan he needed to map out for Shu. There was origami to fold. Envelopes. Exams were coming up; he needed to study.

Down the road, where the laughing high schoolers were just a thought over his shoulder, his phone vibrated.

>ok

Mind moving like molasses, Souji stared at it for so long he nearly ran into a telephone pole.

 

* * *

 

Minato’s eyes were darting all over, trying to find who he was looking for with the added catch of refusing to make eye contact. He cracked his knuckles. Pressed a loose fist against his palm until one-two-three, his knuckles popped. The pinky knuckle remained elusive so he shoved his hands in his pockets before he could obsess over it. He was trying to quit. Honest.

Mostly he just wanted to go home. Again, he couldn’t afford to be there, but he was, like some kind of idiot, because he’d been too shy to say no.

As he stood in front of the theater, watching people go in and out, some of them looked back and he wondered what he looked like to them. They might’ve thought he was waiting for a date. There was something awful about that, like all his personal affairs were out in the open for everyone to see.

But he wasn’t waiting for a date, he was waiting to hang out with some guy he barely knew.

Or maybe…

Minato started chewing his nail. Maybe Souji thought it was a date. If he was into guys. Minato was, but he didn’t know if Souji swung that way.

‘We should go to the movies’ he had said, and that was all. When Minato responded with his okay, Souji had sent him a time to meet up, they agreed, and that was it. That was all. That could go either way.

Minato had never been on a date before. If that was what this was.

He hoped not. Saying yes to hanging out was already a mistake. A date would be even worse. And maybe Souji had a nice face but Minato wasn’t about to do anything for it.

Minato smoothed the front of his shirt. There was nothing for him to check his reflection, but all he was wearing was a band t-shirt, jeans, and boots, all black and killing him in the July heat. For hanging out, that was fine. Not that he knew what people wore on dates. Something fancier, no doubt.

Dates sounded like dinners in expensive restaurants, talking about… he didn’t know what. Mature things. Taxes. Dates were drinking wine and eating expensive cuisine. Sure, they could be trips to the theater filled with greasy popcorn fingers and sticky floors, but that didn’t matter because this wasn’t a date. Hopefully.

At the very least, he wasn’t underdressed – maybe – because Souji was walking towards him from a scooter he parked by the road, wearing a button-up and shorts. Minato found himself trying to place their outfits on some kind of spectrum of casualness.

“Hi,” Souji said simply. “Are you ready to head in?”

Just like that. Which was fine because Minato wasn’t one for small talk.

Souji payed for two tickets to some drama, asking if it was okay and lamenting that there wasn’t much else to choose from, plus an extra-large popcorn and drinks. He refused to let Minato pay, which was a tick on the ‘It’s a Date’ side.

They settled into their seats and Minato was the one that ended up holding the popcorn. Souji didn’t seem interested in it. He didn’t seem interested in anything. To begin with, movies weren’t a great place to talk, but not a single word passed between them the whole time. Minato was the only one picking at the popcorn and the only one drinking. Souji’s drink sat in his cupholder and sweated.

The movie was one with an entirely acoustic soundtrack and a love of lens flares. The kind with shaky camera work that filmmakers seemed to think gave it more of a documentary feeling, and therefore an authentic feeling. All the aesthetic choices in the world couldn’t make up for the cliché plot and uncharismatic protagonist, and Minato found himself start to doze off in increments that had him jerking awake every five minutes, and then twenty with the credits rolling. Souji was looking at him.

“Did that work better than the sheep?”

“Don’t tell me that’s why you chose that movie.”

“As if I have such good foresight.” As people got to their feet and shuffled towards the exit, Souji watched the screen and shook his head. “It’s by a director I like; I thought it would be good. I’m sorry.”

“Well… the soundtrack was good.”

Souji smiled. “It was.”

A few people were still in their seats, probably waiting to see if there was a scene after the credits, but it didn’t feel like Souji was one of them. He picked at his shirt buttons.

“I wasn’t expecting her ex to die.”

“I was,” Minato said. “Too likeable. Likeable characters always die.”

“Mm… maybe.”

The low lighting made Souji look different. Silver hair, golden skin, a powder blue shirt, but they were all reduced to shades of grey. Minato found his eyes lingering on Souji’s face. He really was goodlooking. The kind of face that wouldn’t be out of place in a magazine.

“Are you alright?”

Minato wasn’t sure what made him ask. Or he knew exactly what it was – but he didn’t know why he let Souji’s subdued and preoccupied air get to him. It had been bugging him this whole time. Not that he wanted constant conversation, but to invite someone out and then spend the whole time moping, it was really annoying.

“I’m alright,” Souji said gently.

Minato turned back to the credits. They were listing songs that had been used and he tried to remember some of the names to look up later, but there was still the issue of the dark cloud sitting beside him.

“I heard about your homeroom teacher,” Minato said. There was a pause. “Sorry.”

Souji cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

Minato liked to think he wasn’t that big of an idiot. Of all people, he knew avoidance when he saw it, and getting an invite out the day after someone’s murder probably wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t his problem and he didn’t want to deal with it, but maybe if he let Souji talk about his emotions then he would hurry up and they could get out of there.

“I didn’t even like the guy,” Souji said quietly. The buttons were going to pop clean off his shirt if he kept tugging on them like that. “I’ve never had anyone I know die before. I met Saki Konishi once, before she was… but… I don’t know.”

Minato watched his hands. Long fingers with cared-for nails. There was a freckle on the web between his thumb and index.

“It’s… he’s not here anymore. It’s weird,” Souji said. Minato’s eyes were beginning to dry out. He rubbed them, grinding his knuckle in until it hurt. “I saw him almost every day and now I never will again because he doesn’t exist anymore. It’s just… weird.”

The credits ended. There was no extra scene.

“Have you ever known anyone that…?”

Minato didn’t say anything. Souji got to his feet.

“Sorry. Let’s get going.”

Minato grabbed what was left of the popcorn, plus what was left of Souji’s drink when he offered it. They walked in silence, out of the theater and into the late sunset. After the dark of the theater, it was nearly blinding. Even though his scooter was right there, Souji insisted on walking Minato to the train station, and then waiting with him. They sat on a bench together and Souji finally had some of the popcorn.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“What?”

“For talking about that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I asked.”

“You did… thank you.”

The timing was right to say something along the lines of ‘If you need to talk, I can listen,’ but that felt like casually stepping off a cliff and beginning a descent he wasn’t ready for. They barely knew each other. Whether he didn’t want to or he just had nothing to give, Minato stayed silent and offered Souji nothing.

The train came and they both stood. Minato rolled the popcorn bag closed and gnawed his straw because Souji wasn’t leaving and he couldn’t think of anything to say.

“We should hang out again,” Souji said.

Hang out. Then it hadn’t been a date and Minato had been worried for nothing. He didn’t feel relieved like he thought he would, but he wasn’t disappointed either. He didn’t really feel anything, because it just made sense.

“Sure.”

Souji smiled slightly but still didn’t leave, and Minato realized he was waiting for him to get on the train. Mouth full of straw, he raised his hand in a wave – or as much of a wave as he could manage, holding on to the popcorn bag. It was more of a two-fingered wiggle, which Souji playfully returned with a bit of an uncharacteristic giggle, and Minato couldn’t help but smile back.

 

* * *

 

Yosuke wasn’t smiling, not anymore.

He’d been excited for this. A group date was exactly what he wanted, especially after the disaster of the trip to Okina with Souji and Kanji. With everything going on with the investigation, he just wanted to let loose a little. No matter what else was happening, even if they were trying to catch a murderer, they were teenagers. He wanted to act like it.

And yeah, being surrounded by pretty girls was always nice.

But Daisuke had taken one look at them and things went south faster than Yosuke could blink. Now the four of them were sitting on the trainride home and no one was talking. He had no idea what was going on, but there was clearly more to it than what Kou told him.

Souji caught his eye and gave him an apologetic little smile. Yosuke shook his head slightly, trying to convey that he didn’t have to worry about it. It didn’t seem to matter much; as soon as they arrived in Inaba, things went even further south.

Lagging behind, because he wasn’t really apart of this, Yosuke tried not to listen to them arguing. Hard to do when they were getting so riled up that their voices were echoing over the river. While Souji calmed them down, Yosuke slipped away to the picnic table under the pavilion.

The three of them talked it out and Yosuke waited, wondering if he shouldn’t just head home. The whole thing was so awkward. He didn’t belong there.

But eventually Souji and Kou were heading over, Daisuke apparently having gone home.

Souji sat beside him, heaving a sigh, and Kou sat across the table. He didn’t look his usual cheerful self but at least he wasn’t angry anymore. He just seemed tired.

“Everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” Kou sighed. “Daisuke’s got about three braincells, he’ll be over it by tomorrow and everything’ll be back to normal.”

“You did the right thing,” Souji said soothingly.

“Hope so.”

The three of them sat and talked for a while, but what had just happened was still on everyone’s minds. Eventually Souji checked his watched and excused himself, saying he promised Nanako they would hang out. As soon as he was gone, Kou slumped forward.

“I’m tired,” he groaned.

“You wanna get going too?”

“Nah… got family visiting and I just… don’t wanna deal with that right now,” Kou muttered. Yosuke nodded. Whatever he didn’t know about Kou, he did know about his family. The old and respected House of Ichijo came up often in mutterings about Junes destroying what made Inaba great. “You can go if you want. Don’t feel like you have to stay here on my account.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t.”

Kou laughed a little.

Yosuke leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice. “Hey, you really alright?”

“Mhm. Just a lot of stuff going on. It’s draining, you know?”

“Trust me, I know. Too bad the group date didn’t work out. Would’ve been fun. Second time in just a couple days I’ve struck out.”

“No kidding?”

If only to cheer him up, Yosuke started telling Kou all about his failed attempts at picking up girls, sparing no embarrassing detail and even stealing a few from Kanji and Souji. By the time he got to the cult girl, Kou was laughing and the usual light was back in his eyes. After being the unofficial morale booster of a group investigating serial murders, making Kou smile was nothing. And it made Yosuke feel good too, knowing he was responsible for that laughter. Even if his small pride was the subject.

“So, that’s it? That was your plan? You just go and sit on your scooter and wait for girls to come to you?”

Yosuke shrugged, spreading his arms wide. “Desperation makes you do stupid things. I’m not saying they’d make it obvious. Maybe just something coy, like… asking about the bike. For curiosity’s sake, you know. Like, ‘Oh, does it go very fast? I’ve been thinking about getting one myself, but I’m nervous. You must be so brave.’ That kind of thing. Then it goes from there. You offer to give her a ride, test the waters, and…”

“‘You must be so brave,’” Kou imitated in a high-pitched voice. “You really had it all planned out in your head, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yosuke sighed, “I know.”

Kou’s laughter trailed off as he wiped his eyes. “That’s hilarious. Would’ve been funny if it was crazy enough to work, though. Who’s laughing then, right?”

“It never would’ve, not with my luck. It’s starting to feel like I’m not meant to get a girlfriend.”

“Hey, things’ll work out. You’re a good guy. Someone will see that. Maybe once you relax and stop with the showman stuff.”

Yosuke snorted. Nighttime was creeping up on them. The air was a little less humid and the bugs were starting to come out in droves. He slapped one away from his arm. “Doesn’t really matter, I guess. I got a lot of stuff going on before I’m ready to commit to a relationship.”

“Ahh…” Kou crossed his arms, putting on a smug look. “So it’s just the chase you want, huh? You player.”

“Well, when you put it like _that_ it sounds bad. I dunno, I just… But what about you? You’re a pretty popular guy. Maybe I should join basketball and girls’ll start bringing me stuff they made in home ec. Souji told me about that.”

Something about that seemed to bother Kou. He crossed his arms and shrugged. “Go for it. The team needs all the help it can get.”

Yosuke laughed a little, slapping another mosquito away. Sometimes – it happened occasionally, more frequently lately with practice from the team – he was lucky and he picked up on hints before he stuck his foot in his mouth.

“As if I’d have time,” Yosuke said. “Especially not with exams coming up.”

“True enough. How’s your studying going?”

Kou seemed to appreciate the change in topic and it carried them for a while. Eventually a comment on how late it was getting snapped them out of the little world they were lost in, and they started walking and talking. Yosuke complained about work, and Kou about his family.

It was odd, spending time with someone he had known for a while but never gotten close with. Conversation with Kou came easy, like they were on the same wavelength about a lot of things. When they stood at the crossroads, the one with the road that led to an older part of town, Yosuke started wishing they had more time together.

“We should hang out sometime,” he found himself saying.

Kou nodded and smiled.

“We should.”

 

* * *

 

Whatever his grades said, Minato could be top of the class if he really wanted to. He used to be. 

Back in elementary school, he used to try. After the accident, it helped. Kept his mind busy. He could zone out and think of nothing but numbers and shapes. There was something exciting about learning. But anything can lose its novelty. That’s life. After a while, it stopped helping and he could no longer see the point. In that, or anything.

“Hey.” Hamuko elbowed Minato’s arm, shoving his pen across his page and ruining his notes (which were mostly doodles). “You’re being stared at.”

Minato looked up. Souji was standing in the library’s doorway between Risette and the guy with dyed hair, scanning for a table. With exams coming up, they were all full. Minato raised his hand and Souji took his meaning, leading the other two over.

“Thank you.” Souji sat across from Minato, Risette from Hamuko, and their friend sat on the end. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so full.”

Minato made a noncommittal noise and turned back to the textbook he and Hamuko were sharing. The others got their things out and spread across the table.

“Oh – I don’t think you’ve met my friends. This is Rise Kujikawa and Yosuke Hanamura.”

“Hi,” Minato mumbled. Hamuko snorted quietly.

Souji introduced the twins in turn and the group went back to working quietly – as quietly as they could be, with Yosuke clicking his pen and Rise asking questions. Minato rested his head on his hand, threading his fingers through his hair and pulling a little when the frustration built.

If he was a meaner person, he could’ve just lowered his head when he noticed them looking for a table. It was the nice thing to do and he didn’t regret it, but there were so many people. Somehow the hiss of whispers was even more irritating than if they had just been speaking normally.

Rise made a frustrated noise and erased something with such vigor her page crumpled. Hamuko leaned against her elbows. “What’re you having trouble with? Math isn’t my strong point, but –”

Rise turned her book around. “This.”

“Minato, you draw?”

Souji was looking at his page of scribbles. Minato tried pointlessly to hide it with his hand. “Not really.”

“Yes, he does,” Hamuko said carelessly, pointing to something in Rise’s notebook. “It helps if you write the letters out, as many as the exponents tell you to – here, look… this is what I used to do.”

“Oh.” Yosuke perked up. Kou was waving at him from a table by the window, where he sat with Daisuke and Ai. Yosuke got to his feet and headed over, parting with, “Back in a bit.”

“Hey, you’re pretty smart,” Rise smiled. Hamuko lowered her head.

“Not really,” she mumbled. “I mean, I did this all last year, that’s all.”

Giving up on his own work, Minato watched the girls, leaning back in his chair with his hands laced over his stomach. There was no point in pretending he was going to get anything done, not with all this talking. Hamuko looked over her shoulder and caught his eye, but looked away immediately. Minato narrowed his eyes. Shyness wasn’t like her.

Again, Souji pulled his attention back to him. “Have you been sleeping any better?”

Minato shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, it happens how and then. I still sleep, just… not well. And not for long.”

“That’s why he’s always sleeping in class,” Hamuko added, writing something sloppy in the margin of Rise’s notes. “Every school we go to, he gets known for it.”

Souji laughed a little behind his hand. “That’s cute.”

“Not really,” Minato muttered, shooting Hamuko a look she was too busy to notice. “Anyways, I’ve been translating for money. I’ll be able to pay you for the – stuff soon.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I’m going to.”

“Oh yeah.” Hamuko sat back in her chair. “Did you call about that daycare job?”

“I am not working at a daycare.”

“You’re looking for a job?” Rise asked. Minato nodded. “You know anything about tofu? My grandma’s thinking of hiring another person at the shop. It’s just us and a family friend working there right now. My grandma’s getting pretty old and I have some other things going on, so I’m not always able to work evening shifts. We could really use the help.”

“Oh.” Minato fidgeted, completely blindsided. He glanced at Hamuko and she nodded, smiling encouragingly. “Okay.”

“Cool! I’ll talk to her about it. You’ll still have to apply and everything, but I can put in a good word for you. I think I can trust any friend of Senpai’s,” she said, giving Souji a warm smile.

“Excuse me.” The group looked around to see Sofue standing at the end of their table, looking none too pleased. “If you’re going to talk, you can do it elsewhere. People are trying to study.”

“Sorry,” Souji said. “We’ll be quiet.”

Sofue departed with a You Better look and they went back to studying, the silence occasionally broken by Hamuko helping Rise. Eventually she got out of her seat and went to sit beside her so she didn’t have to keep leaning over the table. Minato went back to drawing, going over the lines until they were dark with layers of ink and the paper was indented. He only stopped when a piece of paper slid over them.

 _You’re very talented,_ Souji wrote. _I like the crosshatching._

It felt stupid to write just _thanks_ back, seeing as how it took more effort than to just whisper it, but that was what Minato did.

_Are you part of the art club?_

_nope_

_That’s a shame. Are you in any clubs?_

_nope_

_Kou once mentioned he tried to get you to join basketball._

_dont like sports. tiring_

_Maybe I could find a talisman that would motivate you._

_please dont_

Souji laughed a little when he read that, and sent the paper back with _What about music? You’re always wearing your headphones._

Minato stared at the note for a moment, recognizing that Souji payed enough attention to him to notice. Not that that meant much. Anyone with working eyes could see them.

_used to play violin but havent in years. id suck_

_You won’t improve with that attitude._

_dont you have studying to do or something_

Souji’s next message was a sad self-portrait, so poorly drawn that Minato snorted loudly, slapping a hand over his mouth to dull the noise, but it was too late, half the library was looking at him. He lowered his head, hiding behind his bangs and waiting for the heat to leave his cheeks before responding.

Souji laughed too, when he saw Minato’s apathetic miniature sending a flying kick to his face.

The curious looks they were getting from the other students (and a kick to Minato’s shin from Hamuko) were enough to bring them back to reality. To avoid anyone else’s ire, Souji folded up the note. Instead of adding it to the pile of scraps in the middle of the table, he slipped it inside his pocket.


End file.
